June 24, 2026  |  SIGN UP

PRESENTED BY

Michael Bürgi
SENIOR EDITOR, MEDIA BUYING AND PLANNING

Along the Croisette in Cannes, where the 2026 Lions are taking place as they have for decades, it's hotter than blazes. But I sense a bit of coolness toward the major AI firms here at the Lions. At a publisher brunch, one consultant told me he's pushing publishers to demand payment for the content that the LLMs are taking for free to become smarter. To this exec's thinking, there's no downside, only the upside of getting value instead of getting ripped off. 

Agencies are staying out of the way on this fight, as they busy themselves with trying to find the right ways to absorb the right tools and talents AI can offer them without breaking their own banks (tokens ain't cheap, it turns out). But as a Forrester report found, it's the AI systems that help agencies (especially the holding companies) connect everything — media, creative, data, measurement, tech, marketing — and that's the path they're taking. And beware closed systems; after 20 years of platforms grading their own homework, marketers and their agencies seem to be seeking out solutions that let them see how they got to those solutions. 

Keep applying sunscreen — it's hot out there. And, as my editor said to me, the best way to stay hydrated is the "zebra" method: one booze, one water, one booze, one water. Happy Lions to you all. 

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