Nielsen: Consumers use AI for discovery as ROI proof lags

By Elena Vasquez

Six leading AI companies spent nearly $500 million in the advertising market in the first half of 2026, 2.6 times the year-earlier level, according to TV audience measurement specialist Nielsen’s eighth Annual Marketing Report.

Published on October 27, 2026, the report examines AI’s effect on the advertising industry. Its central commercial tension is clear: adoption has become routine, but measurement has not caught up. “AI is becoming the norm, but measurement remains a challenge,” Nielsen says.

Where are marketers using AI?

Nielsen’s survey found that 98% of marketers actively incorporate AI into their workflows. Their applications now span several parts of the campaign process:

• Nearly 68% use AI for measurement and analytics.
• More than three in five use it for creative production.
• The same share uses AI for media planning and optimization.
• 57% leverage it for predictive forecasting.

Only 15% can connect AI-discovery spending to return on investment, or ROI. These percentages document reported workflow adoption rather than broad proof of campaign performance.

Nielsen Ad Intel counted nearly 18,000 US ad creatives that mentioned or featured AI during one month. The spending and creative counts establish activity beyond self-reported workflow use, although neither measure resolves ROI attribution.

How are consumers using AI for discovery?

Among US consumers, 52% use AI for content discovery at least once a month, slightly ahead of the 50% who use it for brand discovery. Nielsen’s second warning is equally direct: “Consumers are turning to AI for discovery, but trust is still elusive.”

Three quarters of people reported verifying the results AI provides because they do not trust them. For that group, verification is part of the discovery routine, even as more than half of US consumers use AI at least monthly to find content.

What counts as television now?

Forty-one percent of US consumers consider video content to be “TV” no matter which platform carries it. Nielsen links that broader definition to changing viewing habits, with audience attention no longer confined to a single delivery platform.

Ad spending follows this audience definition. Display, social, video, search and retail media together took 53% of total US ad spending in 2025. Their combined share reached 56% in the first half of 2026, putting digital channels ahead of all other channels combined.

How much attention are smartphones and creators capturing?

Consumers aged 18 to 49 spend more than 30 hours a week on smartphones. Half of that time goes to social media, concentrating a large share of their phone use inside social feeds.

Seventy-five percent of industry leaders consider the smartphone channel effective and identify creator content as the leading opportunity. Nearly half of US consumers say loyalty to a creator makes them more willing to consider or try a promoted product, even if they had no initial interest in it.

That consumer finding measures stated willingness rather than completed purchases. It nonetheless gives creators a defined role in product discovery, while the smartphone figures show where much of the audience time sits.

What must marketers prove in 2027?

Nielsen identifies brand awareness and customer acquisition as the defining priorities for marketers heading into 2027. The report says understanding where audiences spend their time and how they engage with brands has become central to that agenda.

Those goals sharpen the ROI problem. Nielsen’s figures show broad deployment across campaign functions alongside a much narrower ability to connect AI discovery spending with returns.

The report combines a survey spanning more than 1,200 markets globally with data from Nielsen’s media intelligence solutions. Those sources include Ad Intel AI, Nielsen ONE Ads & Outcomes, Nielsen Creator Lift, Gracenote, Scarborough, Streaming Content Ratings, Sports Sponsorship Media Valuations and Fan Insights.

With 2027 planning under way, the unresolved commercial test is whether marketers can close the attribution gap while preserving trust in the AI tools consumers use to find content and brands.