2026 Predictions: Search Takes a Backseat as Brands Battle Inside AI’s Black Box

Predictions are hard, especially now: inevitably some things will look obvious or outlandish in hindsight. 

I ask that you only remember the predictions I got right.

The internet will split between humans and agents, and humans will be wildly outnumbered

Two-thirds of your global website or app traffic will be bots. We’re used to marketing to humans, but increasingly agents will be making the decisions. 

Brands have invested billions learning how to get great at persuading humans. But what does our industry really know about persuading LLM models? There’s a lot we need to learn. Next year we will be talking about this a lot.

Brands will start competing in AI’s black box

Once, marketers cared where algorithms ranked them on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). 

But search will be redefined in 2026, and reputation — what real people say about you on recommendation sites — will matter more than ever. 

This is because the battle for online presence will shift decisively to the LLM’s latent space.

Latent space is like a map inside an AI that arranges similar ideas so they sit closer together. The AI uses those relationships to understand patterns and generate language.

If you sell backpacks, you might believe your messaging shows that your product is among the “best backpacks for kids.” But what if the LLM doesn’t think about your brand’s messaging the way you do? What if buyers don’t see your website because the LLM decides there’s no reason for them to go there?  

One or more LLMs will start an advertising business, and travel will be the first big category to advertise

ChatGPT’s Sam Altman has gone from “I kind of hate ads” in 2024 to “Okay, maybe ads don’t always suck” and “It’s something we’ll try” this year. 

Why will travel be first? Because the connection between what the LLM recommends you buy and what you actually buy is very, very strong. 

One of the remaining agency holding companies will be acquired or merge

We already know dentsu has lined up M&A partners to identify potential buyers for their international business. As Jay Pattisall, vp and principal analyst at Forrester put it: “Automation and AI are accelerating workforce reductions across agencies. This shift is not just about efficiency — it’s about transformation [agencies] will hasten the shift from service providers to solution purveyors.”

The top buyer KPI for creative services will shift to business outcomes

In the second half of our 2024 IAB Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, we found that business outcomes are now the top buyer KPI for media. 

I predict that the same shift will happen with creative services, too. Where once marketers bought media impressions and staff time to generate (hopefully) big ideas, they will now be buying outcomes across the board. 

A long time ago, David Ogilvy wrote, “We sell – or else.” He was correct then. He will be far more correct in 2026. 

A Big 5 TV network will be acquired

We are seeing this play out in real life right before our eyes.  There are unmistakable market signals that giants in the Hollywood economy might be for sale if the buyer’s checkbook is big enough. If the FCC ends the merger ban among US broadcast networks, the odds of a Big 5 TV network getting acquired soars. 

But in any case, you can bet that private equity firms are running the numbers right now. Valuations will be tricky: what will they do if a network’s streaming assets are now worth more than their legacy assets, including their studio? But I predict this is coming no matter what.

The most important AI advances get more invisible

Effective AI agents can accelerate business processes by as much as 50%. AI-enhanced workflows will be everywhere, with AI agents learning, adapting, and running enterprise processes in real time. Legacy tech with siloed databases will become the enemy, because you can’t run smart workflows without access to all the data.

Stricter kid’s online safety legislation will pass

In 2026 Congress will pass an updated Children’s Privacy Bill. You heard it here first.

Advertising will transform from a business of persuasion to a business of prediction

What will buyers want, when will they want it, and when is the optimal time to present it so we shrink the gap between awareness and purchase?

That’s the big question ahead of us in 2026 and beyond. 

It will be interesting to start seeing how the industry rises to the occasion.  

We’ve done it before.