AI influencer discovery tools are changing how agencies cast creators

March 30, 2026 Presented by Whether an influencer campaign succeeds or fails often comes down to creator selection – and increasingly that’s a job being handled by AI. Dentsu, for example, has been using an AI agent system dubbed “Creator & Trends Studio" (CATS), which aids influencer selection decisions. Advertisement TOP STORY The Creator Economy AI influencer discovery tools are changing how agencies cast creators As creator spending grows among brand advertisers, agencies are using AI to automate much of the influencer marketing workflow. Now, that includes casting. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Rather than add another interface for sellers and agencies to work with, Hector Ai brought Amazon advertising intelligence to where customers were already working for a more natural agent-driven workflow. Partner insights from Amazon Ads. When a campaign has clear goals, impressions are measured accurately and scale is sufficient to generate learnings, effective cross-platform measurement can help marketers turn negative lifts into positives. Partner insights from Cint. Join us at the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit, May 6–8 in Palm Springs, to explore how AI agents are reshaping programmatic, from bidding and negotiation to measurement and optimization. A MESSAGE FROM DISNEY CAMPAIGN MANAGER Media buys made easy Stop building campaigns from scratch. Start building a playbook. Disney Campaign Manager is one ad solution for buys across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN streaming platforms, helping you turn campaign wins into repeatable strategies that deliver real results. Built-in AI tools help you optimize, see what's working and apply those lessons across your entire portfolio. Strong setups don't disappear after one run; they become the foundation for performance you can replicate again and again. Get Started Today MEDIA & PLATFORMS Marketing on Platforms Pinterest bets measurement and SMBs will boost performance revenue Vik Gupta (vp, gm of monetization) has been tasked with strengthening Pinterest's push to become a permanent media plan fixture. The Creator Economy After newsroom cuts, The Washington Post turns to creator-led video deals  The Washington Post is betting on creator content to open up new revenue and audiences, after newsroom layoffs. Advertisement PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PATHLABS Agencies are thriving in a high-tech delivery world with human-led service Tools meant to free up time for high-priority tasks require more human attention, not less, leaving no time for necessary agency work that compounds: strategic planning, senior-level guidance and new business. MARKETING Experimental Channels What AI disruption means for experimental ad budgets The 2026 ad budget is now a lab experiment as marketers boost experimental budgets for AI and emerging channels. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM SEEDTAG How neuro-contextual intelligence shifts media planning strategies Audience strategy has historically focused on reaching predefined consumer segments based on assumed traits. Neuro-contextual intelligence helps media planners identify high-intent moments in real time — distinguishing between passive browsing and active consideration. DIGIDAY + Marketing on Platforms Media Buying Briefing: What will Meta's and YouTube's legal losses mean for the marketplace? As Meta and YouTube suffer defeats with damages in court, will media buyers steer clients away from them? Unlikely for now. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM HELIUM 10 The multichannel growth playbook — a virtual event In a virtual event on April 14, Helium 10’s Bradley Sutton, vp of education and strategy, and Shivali Patel, senior brand evangelist, unpack how brands expand into TikTok Shop and Walmart without breaking operations. ICYMI The Creator Economy A year after Unilever, the ad-funded creator economy is still catching up to its own ambition Creators had already become too big to ignore. Now, for a different set of reasons entirely, it has become too important to get wrong. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy