Nielsen: Consumers are turning to AI for discovery
October 27, 2026



Nielsen, the TV audience measurement specialist, has published its eighth Annual Marketing Report. This year’s edition focuses on the timely topic of AI and its impact on the advertising industry.

One notable takeaway is that brand awareness and customer acquisition are the defining priorities for marketers heading into 2027. This underscores the importance of understanding not only where audiences spend their time but also how they engage with brands, says Nielsen.


Report highlights

AI is becoming the norm, but measurement remains a challenge.

98 per cent of marketers are actively incorporating AI into their workflows.

Nearly 68 per cent of marketers use it for measurement and analytics. More than three in five use it for creative production, and the same share use it for media planning and optimisation. And 57 per cent leverage AI for predictive forecasting.

Yet only 15 per cent of marketers can connect their AI-discovery spend to ROI.

AI is also the norm in advertising itself. Nearly 18,000 US ad creatives mentioned or featured AI in one month according to Nielsen Ad Intel. And six leading AI companies spent nearly half a billion dollars in the market during the first half of 2026 alone—a 2.6x increase year-over-year

Consumers are turning to AI for discovery, but trust is still elusive.

52 per cent of US consumers use AI for content discovery at least once a month, outpacing the 50 per cent who use it for brand discovery. But 75 per cent of people reported verifying the results that AI provides because they don’t trust them.

The definition of TV is changing alongside viewing habits, and ad spend is following.

41 per cent of US consumers consider video content as ‘TV’ no matter the platform. And ad investment is following their lead. In the US, ad spend on digital channels – including display, social, video, search, and retail media – drew a combined 53 per cent of total ad spend last year. That share is up in the first half of 2026, already totaling 56 per cent.

Creators and smartphones are driving attention.

Consumers aged 18-49 average over 30 hours a week on smartphones, and half of that time goes to social media.

75 per cent of industry leaders agree on the channel’s effectiveness and see creator content, specifically, as the leading opportunity.

Nearly half of US consumers agree their loyalty to a creator makes them more willing to consider or try a product the creator promotes, even if they weren’t originally interested.

The report is based on a survey of over 1,200 markets globally, as well as data from Nielsen’s media intelligence solutions, including Ad Intel AI, Nielsen ONE Ads & Outcomes, Nielsen Creator Lift, Gracenote, Scarborough, Streaming Content Ratings, Sports Sponsorship Media Valuations and Fan Insights.