Brand teams increasingly bring AI into the early stages of production, using it for image creation, copywriting, and campaign briefing, while full-service agencies deploy AI across the entire production workflow and rely on it daily as a standard.

The top drivers of adoption have shifted toward speed to market and expanding creative output, with cost savings trailing behind as a motivator.

Regional patterns show the UK prioritizing speed and higher creative volume, whereas US users focus on quality and personalization, signaling AI becoming core ad infrastructure shaped by local priorities.

In the UK, AI adoption is widespread, with a large majority of marketers actively using or piloting AI in production.

AI is integrating across production and delivery to meet rising content demand, not just cutting costs, according to XR.

AI is boosting creative output and accelerating campaigns, supporting scalable workflows without replacing creative teams.

Daily use of AI is already common, with nearly half of ad professionals using it every day, and very few expect to abandon adoption.