Cannes Lions 2026: What agencies are rebuilding around AI and data

by Experian Marketing Services 3 min read September 30, 2026

Every AI output starts with an input. Leading edge agencies are being a lot more thoughtful about what that input is. At Cannes Lions 2026, leaders from Adobe DSP, Butler/Till, Genius Sports, Goodway Group, Gus, Marketeer Group, Significant, The Washington Post, The Weather Company, and Wpromote talked through how sharper data, deeper audience understanding, and steady human judgment are changing what agencies deliver for their clients. Watch the conversation below to hear how agencies are rethinking their inputs, audiences, and processes to bring new solutions for their clients.

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How agencies are rebuilding their work around AI and data

Inputs decide the output

AI is only as sharp as the data feeding it, so agencies are focusing on using high-quality data that goes beyond first-party data alone.

Data is shaping the creative itself

Real-time context can shift a message in the moment, and testing now goes deep enough to show which small details change behavior.

Consumers can contradict their own personas

Understanding them requires the specific marketing attributes that give you insight into consumer behaviors.

AI frees people for bigger thinking

As routine tasks move to AI, teams get more room to focus on the strategy and judgment that moves a client’s business forward.

Human judgment still closes the gap

AI can get close, but people still catch what’s off and shape it into something usable.

Ideas now need to work as systems

Clients increasingly want one idea that can flex across formats and channels, not a one-off ad built for a single placement.

Featured partners

Adobe DSP – Phil Cowlishaw, Managing Director
Butler/Till – Manny Puentes, Chief Product Officer
Genius Sports – Saqib Mausoof, Chief Product Officer
Goodway Group – Mike Wolk, Senior Vice President of Partnerships
Gus – Spencer Lavallee, Co-Founder and CCO
Marketeer Group – Stefanie Beach, CEO and Founder
Significant – Jesse Unger, Co-Founder
The Washington Post – Paula Novacki, Head of Programmatic and Agency Development
The Weather Company – AnneMette Bontaites, Vice President of Sales
Wpromote – Deanna Cullen, Vice President of Media Investment

Want more conversations like this one?

Connect with us to learn how agencies use data and AI without losing the human judgment behind it.

This is one of several conversations from Cannes Lions 2026 on how brands and agencies are applying consumer intelligence to drive impact in their campaigns. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our next Cannes conversation delivered to your inbox, read our latest marketing insights, and hear from more industry leaders on the evolution of marketing.

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For more from Cannes Lions 2026, continue with another conversation in the series.

What it takes to move patients from awareness to care What commerce media can see beyond a single retailer What streaming media reveals about cross-screen viewing What it takes for brands to become part of the culture What creators earn that reach can’t buy

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