76% of Advertisers Gain Performance Boosts from Agentic AI, but Walled Gardens Remain Dominant
Event summary
- 76% of advertisers report performance gains from agentic AI, primarily in search and social platforms.
- 86% of advertisers would allocate up to 25% of their budget to the open web if comparable agentic AI solutions existed.
- 74% of large advertisers ($1M–$4.9M monthly spend) cite integration as the top barrier to agentic AI adoption.
- Taboola launched Realize+ in April 2026, an agentic solution for real-time spend reallocation and automated creative targeting.
The big picture
The study underscores a growing demand for AI-driven performance marketing solutions beyond traditional walled gardens. Taboola's Realize+ aims to capitalize on this trend, but success hinges on overcoming integration challenges and proving comparable performance in the open web. The shift could redefine digital advertising strategies, particularly for large-scale advertisers.
What we're watching
- Open Web Expansion
- Whether Taboola's Realize+ can successfully shift advertiser spend from walled gardens to the open web.
- Integration Challenges
- The pace at which large advertisers overcome integration barriers to fully adopt agentic AI solutions.
- Performance Scaling
- How agentic AI solutions like Realize+ will scale performance beyond search and social platforms.
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