Marketers Shift Budgets to GenAI and Creators as Confidence Wavers

By Tom Whitfield

Advertisers are increasing their bets on generative artificial intelligence and creators as uncertainty lingers around their media strategies, per Kantar.

The finding signals a hedge. Faced with an unstable media picture, brands are funnelling more of their budgets toward two channels they can control: AI-generated content and creator partnerships.

What does the shift signal?

Kantar's read of the market points to confidence taking a turn. When certainty about media performance drops, marketers historically move money toward channels with lower production costs and faster feedback loops. Generative AI and creator marketing fit that profile.

The move carries weight for planning teams. A reallocation toward AI tooling and creator budgets implies less room for traditional placements, and procurement and agency relationships will feel the squeeze.

Why now?

Uncertainty is the operative word in Kantar's assessment. The researcher does not frame the shift as a permanent change, but as a response to conditions — advertisers adjusting while they wait for clarity.

That leaves the media mix in flux. Brands that over-index on AI and creators now may rebalance once confidence returns; brands that wait may find creator inventory and AI production capacity priced higher by demand.

The takeaway, in plain words: marketers are not abandoning their media strategies, but they are reweighting them toward generative AI and creators until the picture clears.