Agentic Collaboration: Why 2026 Will Redefine Publisher Operations

For retailers and publishers alike, the holiday season often exposes what’s working and what's not in digital advertising operations, often setting the stage for the year ahead. Campaign volume spikes, timelines shrink, and the pressure intensifies. But the real story isn't the holidays themselves; it’s about what these peak periods reveal about the industry’s operational gaps and how those gaps are finally being addressed.

In 2026, one trend is quickly gaining traction: agentic collaboration. This emerging framework uses autonomous artificial intelligence agents to streamline how publishers, advertisers and platforms work together. Unlike previous workflow tools or incremental automation, agentic systems rearchitect the operating models rather than simply speeding up existing steps.

The AdOps Bottleneck Has Become Unsustainable

Teams juggle increasing complexity with more platforms, more formats, more data sources, and more customization from buyers. Responding to advertiser RFPs with unique and compelling proposals full of high-quality data is increasingly difficult as publishers are having to navigate numerous systems and tools with disparate data. Even the most sophisticated AdOps teams spend disproportionate time on logistics. These tasks are essential, but they drain focus from strategy and collaboration. With rising demand for activation integrations, data sources, and new measurement requirements, the strain will only grow.

Enter Agentic Collaboration

Agentic collaboration introduces autonomous AI agents that can securely analyze and exchange data, identify audiences, and execute repetitive or rules-based tasks across organizations. Think of it as a trusted digital workforce that operates continuously, ensuring every partner has the exact information they need. Using the power of AI, professionals can use natural language prompts to analyze tons of data across various systems to build unique approaches for their advertisers. These systems do not replace AdOps professionals; they amplify them. Imagine being able to simply look across your retail data partners, your own ad server forecasts, and your first-party data to easily identify an audience such as “frequent travelers in the Northeast.”

The impact is transformative: faster turnaround times, fewer errors, more accurate audience activation, smoother collaboration, and greater campaign consistency. But the shift is as cultural as it is technical. It requires new workflows, redefined roles, and shared trust in automation. AdOps moves from task execution to quality control; sales teams gain confidence in faster delivery; and advertisers experience more consistent, data-driven collaboration.

Why 2026 Will Be the Inflection Point and the Future of Publisher Operations

Several forces are converging to make 2026 the inflection point: retail media expansion, privacy-driven data strategies, flat hiring paired with rising automation budgets, and advertisers demanding faster, more accountable execution. Early adopters will offer more impactful audience capabilities, deeper alignment with partners, and more scalable operations.

The pressures seen during peak seasons aren't anomalies. They're indicators of an outdated operating model. Agentic systems offer a blueprint for a faster, more precise, and more collaborative future. Publishers that embrace this evolution will be best positioned for the year ahead.

Patrick Viau is the chief revenue officer of Optable, a data collaboration and identity platform built for the advertising ecosystem in the age of AI.