AI models are moving from DSPs to SSPs, shifting how programmatic ad decisions are made. This change lets advertisers evaluate every impression in real time. Industry leaders discussed the impact at Cannes Lions 2026.
Media and publishing professionals are watching a major shift in programmatic advertising as containerization technology moves custom AI decisioning models from the buy side into SSP environments. This development allows sell-side platforms to make real-time decisions on every available impression, not just the limited inventory that reaches DSPs. The result is a fundamental change in where value and control reside within the programmatic supply chain.
At Cannes Lions 2026, AdExchanger Editorial Director Sarah Sluis spoke with Pirouz Nilforoush, President and Co-Founder of inPowered AI, and Mike Sadicario, Enterprise Media Partnerships at Equativ, about the rapid evolution of containerization. They explained that this technology, which has only been in use for about 12 to 16 months, is set to redefine how performance is measured and achieved in digital advertising. By enabling sell-side decisioning, publishers and SSPs gain new leverage over which impressions are prioritized and how campaigns are optimized.
This shift means advertisers can now access and evaluate the full spectrum of available impressions in real time, rather than relying on the subset that passes through DSPs. The change is expected to alter the dynamics of programmatic trading, with implications for revenue distribution and operational strategy across the ecosystem. For context on how AI adoption is affecting media operations, see how major companies are responding to rising AI costs in this recent report on internal usage restrictions.
