Marking A Pivot Point - Genuine's 2026 Predictions

From governance embedding into the tools themselves to media dollars fueling AI engines, and creativity swinging back toward the deeply human—2026 isn’t just another year, it’s a pivot point. Automation is maturing, and authenticity is emerging as the ultimate competitive edge. In this collection of predictions from our senior leaders, the Genuine team breaks down what’s shifting, what’s shattering, and what leaders need to act on now, before these “predictions” become tomorrow’s default reality. Here’s what we think:

Joe Cicchetto, SVP Technology and Development

The Chief Agent Officer Arrives 

The walls between CMO and CTO are coming down fast. As agentic automation links creativity with code, the next generation of marketing leaders will blend storytelling and systems architecture to guide fleets of AI agents that connect brand intent to technical execution in real time. The Chief Agent Officer won’t just approve campaigns; they’ll architect ecosystems where every channel markets itself. 

From Martech Stack to Swarm 

The Martech stack is no longer stacking—it’s swarming. Agentic automation will turn rigid integrations into fluid ecosystems where data, context, and content assemble on demand. When a healthcare professional visits your site, a swarm of agents will instantly determine the most relevant compliant asset, tone, and CTA, long before your analytics tool logs the visit. The real innovation won’t be new platforms; it will be the choreography between the ones you already have. 

The Rise of the Invisible Marketer 

Agentic automation will turn marketers into orchestrators of unseen systems. Instead of crafting campaigns, teams will train networks of AI agents that negotiate in real time across CMS, DAM, CRM, and CDP layers, adapting creative, messaging, and media the instant behaviors shift. The best marketers won’t be making ads; they’ll be teaching digital organisms how to market themselves.

Liz Giuggio: SVP, Executive Creative Director

In 2026, keeping clients happy won’t keep them. But making them a little uncomfortable might.

Clients often bring their own ideas to agencies wanting agencies mirror them back. That’s a missed opportunity. Creativity isn’t an act of reflection, it’s a process marked by friction, reciprocity, and trust. The safest bet is not safer work—it’s trusting your agency to challenge your assumptions and deliver ideas engineered for impact and informed by experience. Hire for expertise, not agreement. When agencies are empowered to do the unexpected, you can expect good things.

From breaking things to bringing together

Reviewing many of last year’s predictions, I read about how AI, emerging platforms, and changing industry landscapes made 2025 the year of groundbreaking (!), breakthrough (!!), landscape-shifting (!!!), renaissance-sparking (!!!!), game-changing (!!!!!) creative. When just about everything is changing and shifting and sparking and breaking all the time, let’s remember  creativity is about bringing together. The real opportunity presented by new technology and channels is in using creativity to respond to real world problems and societal challenges. To be rooted in goals and doing good, not just ego and industry acclaim.

Someone Surprising is Going to Buy Substack 

I don’t know who. Meta? Apple? Conde Nast? A major news outlet or media company? All I know is everyone is on it, and I’ve cancelled (almost) all of my magazine subscriptions. 

Aileen Wong, SVP, Experience Design

AI Content Requires Clear Attribution in 2026

In 2026, teams will need to clearly show how their content was created—especially when AI is involved. Organizations will be expected to document where AI contributed and who approved the final output to maintain trust and stay ahead of growing compliance requirements. Content platforms like CMS and DAM systems will start tracking this automatically, making authenticity something you can verify, not just assume. Companies that get ahead of this shift will be better prepared for new policies and more trusted by their audiences.

The Era of Governance Buried in Static Process Documents Is Over.

In healthcare and enterprise tech, governance is scaling faster than documentation can keep pace—and everyone feels the pain. The next wave is tool-native governance: CMS, DXPs, and DAMs equipped with AI-driven guardrails that enforce compliance automatically. This isn’t theoretical; it’s what 2026 platforms are built for. Leaders want automation, simplicity, and compliance without adding headcount. The question executives will be asking: “Are our tools enforcing governance yet? If not, why?”

Alex Angstrom, Strategy Director

AI Will Become the Next General Purpose Technology

What do email, the Internet, and spreadsheets have in common? They all started with wild adoption and speculation about how big they could get – but eventually settled into specific places as tools we use, not to automate tasks for us completely, but to assist us to do more, greater, better things. 

In 2026, we will collectively come to recognize AI as a general-purpose technology that, like Gmail and Excel, is less of a job killer and actually one that will open doors for anyone willing to upskill and learn to apply it in a myriad of places, functions, industries, and applications. Like tech that came before it, AI has been around for a long time, but it’s hit that inflection point where it’s now everywhere, and everyone is using it. This year, it will finally go from a fuzzy boogeyman to (mundane, even) fact of life.

Cora Lin, SVP, Analytics

2026: The Great Digital Media Migration to AI Engines 

By 2026, expect a significant shift in digital media spend as brands move budgets to advertising within AI engines like ChatGPT and Gemini. This isn't just about using AI to create ads; it's about the rise of AI platforms as primary advertising channels. Perplexity's early move is just the tstart. But, brands should proceed with caution, ensuring their messaging aligns with the context of AI search results and user expectations to avoid appearing intrusive or irrelevant. 

Amanda Freedman, Senior Business Development Director

Ghosting is on its way out.  

Once seen as the cowardly way to dodge a breakup, the silent treatment crept into business relationships—and people are over it. In a world where responsiveness is currency, silence no longer feels mysterious; it feels careless. The irony? Communication has never been easier yet ignoring messages became a trend, one that is reversing. Professionals are realizing that ghosting erodes trust, damages reputations, and undermines personal brands. And in today’s small world—where industries overlap and networks collide—you never know when paths will cross again. The new differentiator? Basic courtesy. A quick acknowledgment can keep relationships—and opportunities—alive. In the long run, respect speaks louder than silence.