The 5 Big Takeaways from Cannes 2026

Cannes Lions 2026 was another energizing year for one of the advertising industry’s most influential gatherings. If one theme echoed across the Croisette, it was that the AI race is accelerating and reshaping the competitive landscape.

Success is no longer defined solely by scale or computing power. As AI continues to transform marketing, the winners will be organizations with unique, proprietary data, the most innovative ideas, and the deepest relationships.

Throughout the week, we spoke with hundreds of clients, partners, and industry leaders about what comes next for AI-driven marketing. While agentic AI dominated many conversations, the real opportunity now lies in turning early momentum into lasting competitive advantages. 

Below are five key takeaways from the week and where you should be investing next.

1. AI only performs as well as the data beneath it. 

To get the best results, you need a unified view of first, second, and third-party data so that every decision, recommendation, and optimization is grounded in reality.

When you connect rich, high-quality data to AI models, you create the conditions for better planning, sharper targeting, and more confident optimization:

• Identity unifies customer signals across channels and touchpoints. 
• Interoperability and neutrality make that data actionable across partners and platforms. 
• Measurement and optimization close the loop, helping you understand what is actually driving outcomes. 

Together, these capabilities unlock the insights that power agentic workflows and maximize marketing performance.

2. Media networks have entered their next era of sophistication.

The evolution of commerce media was one of the most visible themes of the week. What began as a traditional retail-driven model has matured into a broader, smarter, and more outcome-oriented media ecosystem. Across four Cannes panels, we heard firsthand how media networks are advancing their audience strategies, creative capabilities, incrementality models, and measurement sophistication. They’re also expanding into new categories like entertainment and sports, giving brands a fresh way to capture cultural relevance. 

Retail powerhouses, including Albertsons Media Collective and CVS Media Exchange, are using AI to add more meaning to the customer journey and optimize advertisers’ campaigns. At the same time, Sony Pictures, EA Sports, and DoorDash Ads proved that the next phase of commerce media will be built around high-attention environments, deep fandom, and measurable real-world impact.

3. AI is raising the premium on creativity, not replacing it.

AI is democratizing advanced marketing capabilities and fundamentally shifting where market value is created. 

Historically, the brands that utilized data most effectively were those with heavy data science resources and talent. As AI makes this more accessible, differentiation now hinges on what AI cannot commoditize: unique insights, authentic consumer connections, and strategic vision. 

LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe put it best , “The advantage is around the proprietary data, not the ability to process it. That makes the capabilities that only the biggest companies could avail themselves of available to everyone.”

Because execution and production are becoming faster and less expensive, human originality comes at an even higher premium. The brands that use AI to amplify creative thinking will cut through the noise.

An example of this evolution was our expanded partnership with Adobe, which will help brands build and activate highly targeted commerce media campaigns using AI-generative creative. Brands will be able to personalize creative at the scale of AI — and deliver the creative to the right audiences, all with the enhanced performance and measurability of commerce media.

4. Trust and governance matter as much as innovation.

Trust was another major theme of Cannes, and a topic we spoke about in many spaces including Female Quotient Beach and Beet.TV.

In the age of AI, speed without governance is a liability. Responsible collaboration between data and AI agents is the new competitive advantage. If you want to earn and protect consumer and partner trust, you must use AI in ways that honor privacy, respect data rights, and keep your brand out of the headlines. Effective AI strategies are about putting the right safeguards in place so innovation can scale with confidence.

During our panel, “Winning the AI Shelf with Agentic Commerce,” we heard what responsible AI adoption looks like in practice. Parbinder Dhariwal, GM and VP of CVS Media Exchange, emphasized the necessity of fostering trust and transparency by implementing robust AI governance, ensuring AI delivers accurate and reliable information, and training AI models on authorized, high-quality materials.

As LiveRamp CMO Jessica Shapiro shared on another stage, “In a world where every company can tell a compelling story, trust may become the most important differentiator of all.”

5. The future belongs to connected marketers.

As AI agents transform marketing workflows, disconnected systems and fragmented signals create friction marketers can no longer afford. 

During one of LiveRamp’s panels, Dave Osborn, GM of Agentic Solutions at Microsoft, shared a striking statistic: agentic browser traffic is up 8,000% year-over-year. This explosive growth signals just how quickly consumer behavior is changing and that a predictable path from awareness to purchase is no longer possible. 

To keep pace, brands must be able to connect their data and intelligence across media platforms and AI surfaces. With a unified data foundation and data collaboration network, marketers can ensure a seamless customer experience across every touchpoint. 

Turn AI promise into performance.

One message was clear when we returned from Cannes: the AI race will not wait. This summer is a pivotal moment: brands that act now can turn AI into a real engine for growth, while those that hesitate risk falling behind in a market that isn’t slowing down for anyone.

Partner with LiveRamp – the trusted network for AI-powered marketing – to gain your competitive edge. Reach out to info@liveramp.com today.