Cadent President Doug Rozen sat down with Will Lee, CEO of AdWeek, to discuss the rise of artificial intelligence and its implications for advertising at ADWEEK House CES 2026.
And what a discussion it was.
Doug dialed in on the reality that fragmentation has long been a challenge for the advertising industry. But rather than focusing efforts on eliminating it, resources are instead increasingly poured into artificial intelligence.
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Doug pointed out that while AI presents tremendous promise for the industry, activating AI on legacy, disconnected systems will only further exacerbate fragmentation. Doug’s reality check raised valuable questions: What value can artificial intelligence deliver in a fragmented landscape? And is it all starting to sound just a bit...artificial?
Doug also underscored the importance of understanding how these new technologies use data to fuel decisions, and how data infrastructure and architecture can enable or hinder effective data activation. According to Doug, AI should empower advertising with tools that make simpler decisions smarter, rather than create more friction. With this in mind, advertisers can more readily identify AI solutions built to solve challenges and deliver measurable value.
Watch the fireside chat below for more insights from Doug and explore the difference between AI hype and actual intelligence.