Taboola, a global leader in delivering performance at scale for advertisers, has released new research revealing that advertisers are increasingly embracing agentic AI-powered solutions, with many now seeking similar capabilities beyond traditional walled garden platforms.
The study, titled “The Agentic Advantage in Performance Marketing: Securing Incremental Growth Beyond Search and Social,” found that 76% of advertisers are already experiencing meaningful performance improvements through AI-powered advertising solutions, primarily across search and social platforms.
According to the research, 80% of advertisers said they would immediately increase ad spend on the open web if comparable agentic AI solutions were available, while 86% indicated they would allocate up to a quarter of their advertising budgets toward the shift.
The findings also highlighted operational challenges among larger advertisers adopting agentic AI. Integration into existing workflows emerged as the leading barrier, particularly for companies with higher monthly ad expenditures. While only 9% of advertisers spending between US$300,000 and US$499,000 monthly cited integration as a major issue, the figure rose to 74% among companies spending between US$1 million and US$4.9 million monthly.
“Advertisers of all sizes are leaning into agentic advertising, and the results are following. Our research shows a clear demand for advertisers that want the same ‘always-on,’ AI-driven performance they see in walled gardens applied to the open web, however,” said Adam Singolda, CEO of Taboola. “They are looking for autonomous systems that learn continuously, pivot in real time, and turn every impression into a measurable outcome.”
In April 2026, Taboola introduced Realize+, an agentic AI solution designed to scale performance through a Decision Engine that reallocates spend in real time and an Element Generator that automates creative and targeting. The company has since rolled out the Realize+ beta to support advertisers seeking measurable outcomes at scale.
The study surveyed 200 senior performance marketers at large advertisers and agencies representing organizations with monthly advertising budgets ranging from US$500,000 to US$4.9 million.
