McKinsey: AI agents reshape advertising landscape

McKinsey's Technology Trends Outlook 2025 report, published in July 2025, identifies 13 frontier technologies that could fundamentally reshape marketing strategies and advertising operations. The analysis shows the marketing industry moving toward autonomous systems and human-AI collaboration models that promise to transform everything from campaign management to customer targeting.

The report positions agentic AI - artificial intelligence systems capable of autonomous planning and execution - as the most significant emerging trend for marketing organizations. According to McKinsey's analysis, agentic AI represents a shift from chatbot interactions to virtual coworkers that can independently manage complex workflows.

"Agentic AI moves AI from a passive tool to an active collaborator with enterprise workflows," states Delphine Nain Zurkiya, senior partner at McKinsey Boston. The technology enables marketing teams to automate tasks like campaign optimization, audience targeting, and performance analysis without constant human oversight.

McKinsey data indicates $1.1 billion in equity investment flowed into agentic AI in 2024, with job postings related to this technology increasing 985 percent from 2023 to 2024. The report notes that while interest levels remain relatively low compared to established AI technologies, growth rates exceed all other technology trends.

Investment patterns reveal scaling challenges

The Technology Trends Outlook documents significant investment fluctuations across marketing-relevant technologies. Artificial intelligence attracted $124.3 billion in equity investment during 2024, representing the highest funding levels among the 13 analyzed trends. Digital trust and cybersecurity technologies received $77.8 billion, while cloud and edge computing secured $80.8 billion.

These investment patterns highlight the complex relationship between technology maturity and market adoption. According to the report, organizations face scaling challenges due to surging demand for compute-intensive workloads, particularly from generative AI applications and robotics systems.

"The surging demand for compute-intensive workloads, especially from gen AI, robotics, and immersive environments, is creating new demands on global infrastructure," the report states. Data center power constraints and supply chain delays are slowing technology deployments across marketing organizations.

Human-machine collaboration reshapes marketing operations

McKinsey identifies new human-machine collaboration models as a defining characteristic of 2025 technology trends. The report describes a shift toward "more natural interfaces, multimodal inputs, and adaptive intelligence" that enables more productive collaboration between marketing professionals and intelligent systems.

This evolution affects multiple aspects of marketing operations. Advanced connectivity technologies, including 5G networks and low-Earth-orbit satellites, enable real-time optimization of campaigns across diverse channels. Application-specific semiconductors designed for AI workloads improve the speed and efficiency of data processing for marketing analytics.

The future of robotics also impacts marketing operations, particularly in customer service and support functions. McKinsey notes that robots are expanding beyond manufacturing into service sectors, where they work alongside human employees in collaborative environments.

Regional competition intensifies technology adoption

The report documents increasing regional and national competition over critical technologies that affect marketing infrastructure. Countries and corporations are establishing sovereign infrastructure and localized technology capabilities to reduce dependence on external providers.

"Global competition over critical technologies has intensified. Countries and corporations have doubled down on sovereign infrastructure, localized chip fabrication, and funding technology initiatives," according to the analysis. This trend affects marketing organizations' access to technology tools and platforms, particularly for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions.

The development of sovereign cloud solutions creates new considerations for marketing data management and campaign deployment. Organizations must navigate evolving regulatory requirements while maintaining campaign effectiveness across different regions.

Responsible innovation becomes strategic requirement

McKinsey emphasizes responsible innovation as a critical factor in technology adoption success. The report states that "trust is increasingly the gatekeeper to adoption" as technologies become more powerful and integrated into marketing workflows.

Marketing organizations face growing pressure to demonstrate transparency, fairness, and accountability in their use of AI models, data collection practices, and customer targeting systems. The report notes that "companies face growing pressure to demonstrate transparency, fairness, and accountability, whether in AI models, gene editing pipelines, or immersive platforms."

This emphasis on responsible innovation affects how marketing teams implement new technologies. Organizations must balance the efficiency gains from automation with the need to maintain customer trust and regulatory compliance.

Quantum technologies prepare for future disruption

While still in early development stages, quantum technologies represent potential long-term disruption for marketing analytics and customer data processing. The report assigns quantum technologies an adoption score of 1 on McKinsey's 5-point scale, indicating frontier innovation status with limited organizational investment.

However, recent advances in error correction and scalability suggest accelerating development timelines. Companies including Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, and Microsoft announced quantum computing breakthroughs throughout 2024 and early 2025, addressing key technical challenges.

For marketing organizations, quantum technologies could eventually enable more sophisticated customer behavior modeling and predictive analytics capabilities beyond current classical computing limitations.

Space technologies expand marketing data capabilities

The future of space technologies creates new opportunities for marketing data collection and audience targeting. McKinsey notes that low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations and direct-to-device connectivity expand coverage for marketing campaigns in previously underserved areas.

"Space technologies are rapidly reshaping our world, unlocking new levels of connectivity and data-driven insights," the report states. Earth observation systems enable more precise location-based marketing and real-time campaign optimization based on geographic and environmental factors.

The integration of space-based data with terrestrial marketing systems supports enhanced environmental monitoring for sustainable marketing initiatives and improved disaster response for crisis communications.

Bioengineering influences personalized marketing

McKinsey identifies bioengineering as a scaling technology with implications for personalized marketing and customer experience design. The report notes that bioengineering applications are moving "beyond limited deployments" toward broader commercial implementation.

Advances in precision medicine and personalized treatments create opportunities for pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing organizations to develop more targeted campaigns. The integration of AI with bioengineering accelerates research and development cycles, enabling faster iteration of marketing strategies for health-related products.

The report emphasizes that successful bioengineering adoption depends on addressing public acceptance and regulatory frameworks, factors that also affect marketing strategies for companies in related industries.

Energy sustainability drives marketing transformation

The future of energy and sustainability technologies affects marketing operations through both direct environmental impact and customer expectations. McKinsey notes that "the transformation of energy production, storage, and distribution systems is one of the most consequential challenges and opportunities of our time."

Marketing organizations increasingly incorporate sustainability messaging and environmental impact considerations into campaign development. The report documents significant investment in clean energy technologies, with $223.2 billion in equity funding during 2024.

The growing demand for electricity from data centers creates pressure on marketing technology infrastructure. Organizations must balance increasing computational needs for AI-powered marketing tools with sustainability commitments and energy efficiency requirements.

Timeline

• July 2025: McKinsey publishes Technology Trends Outlook 2025 identifying 13 frontier technologies
• March 2025: Industry adoption of AI-powered marketing automation platforms accelerates 
• January 2025: PPC Land reports on emerging AI advertising models where agents replace human attention
• December 2024: Marketing technology platforms face security vulnerabilities from Model Context Protocol implementations
• July 2024: AppsFlyer launches AI-powered marketing data access tools

Key terminology explained

Agentic AI

Agentic AI represents artificial intelligence systems that operate autonomously to plan and execute complex workflows without constant human supervision. Unlike traditional AI that responds to specific prompts, agentic AI creates virtual coworkers capable of managing entire marketing campaigns, from audience analysis to budget optimization. This technology marks a fundamental shift from passive AI tools to active collaborators that can adapt strategies based on real-time performance data and market conditions.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence encompasses computer systems designed to perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, including pattern recognition, decision-making, and learning from experience. In marketing contexts, AI powers everything from predictive analytics and customer segmentation to automated content creation and bid management. The technology has evolved from experimental applications to essential infrastructure for competitive marketing operations.

Technology Trends

Technology trends refer to the directional patterns of innovation and adoption that shape business strategies and operational capabilities. McKinsey's analysis identifies trends based on quantitative measures including patent filings, research publications, investment flows, and talent demand. Understanding these trends enables marketing organizations to anticipate infrastructure requirements, skill development needs, and competitive advantages in rapidly evolving digital landscapes.

Marketing Organizations

Marketing organizations encompass the departments, agencies, and teams responsible for customer acquisition, brand management, and revenue generation through digital and traditional channels. These entities are experiencing fundamental transformation as AI and automation technologies reshape campaign management, audience targeting, and performance measurement. Modern marketing organizations must balance human creativity with technological efficiency to maintain competitive positioning.

Investment Patterns

Investment patterns describe the flow of capital into specific technology sectors, indicating market confidence and development momentum. McKinsey's data reveals significant funding fluctuations across marketing-relevant technologies, with artificial intelligence attracting $124.3 billion in 2024 while emerging areas like quantum technologies received substantially less. These patterns help marketing leaders understand which technologies are approaching commercial viability versus remaining experimental.

Human-Machine Collaboration

Human-machine collaboration represents the evolving partnership between marketing professionals and intelligent systems, emphasizing augmentation rather than replacement of human capabilities. This collaboration model enables more natural interfaces, multimodal inputs, and adaptive intelligence that responds to both data patterns and human intuition. Successful implementation requires redesigning workflows to leverage machine efficiency while preserving human strategic thinking and creative problem-solving.

Campaign Management

Campaign management involves the planning, execution, monitoring, and optimization of marketing initiatives across multiple channels and touchpoints. Modern campaign management increasingly relies on AI-powered automation for tasks like bid adjustments, audience targeting, and performance tracking. The evolution toward autonomous campaign management systems requires new skill sets focused on strategy development, goal setting, and result interpretation rather than manual execution.

Data Processing

Data processing encompasses the collection, analysis, and transformation of marketing information into actionable insights for decision-making. Advanced data processing capabilities enable real-time optimization, predictive analytics, and personalized customer experiences at scale. The exponential growth in data volume from digital interactions requires specialized infrastructure including application-specific semiconductors and cloud computing resources to maintain processing speed and accuracy.

Customer Targeting

Customer targeting involves identifying and reaching specific audience segments most likely to respond to marketing messages and convert to desired actions. AI-enhanced targeting systems analyze vast datasets including search history, behavioral patterns, and demographic information to predict customer preferences and optimize message delivery. The evolution of targeting capabilities must balance personalization effectiveness with privacy regulations and consumer trust considerations.

Infrastructure Requirements

Infrastructure requirements define the technological foundation necessary to support modern marketing operations, including computing power, data storage, networking capabilities, and security systems. The shift toward AI-powered marketing tools creates unprecedented demands on infrastructure, particularly for real-time processing and analysis of customer interactions. Organizations must invest in scalable infrastructure that can accommodate growing computational needs while maintaining performance and reliability standards.

Summary

Who: McKinsey & Company analysts and technology experts researching frontier technologies affecting business operations and marketing strategies.

What: Publication of Technology Trends Outlook 2025 identifying 13 key technologies including agentic AI, application-specific semiconductors, advanced connectivity, and sustainable energy systems that will reshape marketing operations.

When: July 2025 publication date covering technology developments through 2024 and projections for 2025-2030 timeframe.

Where: Global analysis covering technology adoption patterns across United States, Europe, China, and other major markets, with particular focus on regional competition and sovereign technology development.

Why: Organizations need strategic guidance for navigating technological transformation affecting marketing infrastructure, campaign management, customer targeting, and regulatory compliance in an increasingly AI-powered business environment.