Artificial intelligence is steadily reshaping the programmatic advertising stack. But the next phase may look less like a smarter dashboard and more like an AI teammate.

That’s the premise behind a new partnership between Dstillery and connected TV ad platform Keynes, which are rolling out what they describe as an “agentic” advertising workflow powered by Dstillery’s DS‑1.

The idea: use AI agents to handle complex tasks—audience discovery, custom modeling, and campaign activation—that traditionally required multiple tools, manual processes, and hours of coordination across platforms.

With DS-1 integrated into Keynes’ workflow, those tasks can now be executed through a conversational interface inside Slack, dramatically reducing turnaround time for campaign planning.

The Rise of Agentic Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising has always promised automation. But in practice, many workflows remain fragmented.

Media planners frequently bounce between audience platforms, data providers, demand-side platforms (DSPs), and analytics tools. Building a custom audience model can involve multiple handoffs between teams and systems, often stretching timelines into days.

Agentic advertising aims to eliminate that friction.

AI agents embedded directly into operational tools can handle complex sequences of tasks autonomously—interpreting requests, analyzing data, generating models, and executing actions across platforms.

For the programmatic ecosystem, that shift could fundamentally change how campaigns are built.

Instead of manually assembling audiences and activating them across systems, buyers increasingly instruct AI agents to perform those tasks automatically.

DS-1 Turns Slack Into a Programmatic Control Center

In the case of the Dstillery–Keynes partnership, the automation happens inside Slack, a platform many marketing and ad operations teams already use for collaboration.

DS-1 connects to Keynes’ Slack workspace through Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing teams to interact with the AI system conversationally.

That integration eliminates several traditional bottlenecks:

• Switching between multiple adtech platforms

• Manual data transfers between systems

• Waiting for model builds or audience analysis

According to the companies, work that previously required 48 hours can now be completed in about five minutes.

For teams managing high-volume programmatic campaigns—especially in fast-moving channels like connected TV—that speed advantage can translate directly into operational efficiency and faster campaign launches.

From Audience Modeling to Activation

Once an audience model is generated through DS-1, campaigns can be activated through The Trade Desk, one of the largest independent demand-side platforms in the programmatic ecosystem.

This integration links together several critical pieces of the advertising supply chain:

1. Audience modeling and targeting via Dstillery’s AI

2. Campaign planning and operations through Keynes

3. Media activation on The Trade Desk’s DSP

The result is a streamlined workflow where planning, modeling, and activation happen in a unified environment.

For agencies and brands, the biggest benefit may be the ability to test and deploy audience strategies quickly without extensive operational overhead.

Building an Agentic Advertising Ecosystem

Dstillery says the DS-1 platform is designed to operate within a broader network of industry partners rather than as a standalone product.

The company is working with agencies, adtech vendors, and data providers to integrate agentic capabilities across the programmatic stack.

At the same time, emerging industry initiatives are beginning to define standards for AI-driven advertising workflows.

Two efforts gaining traction include:

• IAB Tech Lab’s Agentic Advertising Initiative, which explores how AI agents can operate safely and effectively in digital advertising systems

• The Agentic Advertising Organization, which is developing the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) to enable interoperability between AI advertising tools

As those frameworks mature, platforms like DS-1 could connect more easily with additional partners, expanding their capabilities without requiring major workflow changes for advertisers.

Industry Leaders See AI as a “Co-Pilot” for Media Buyers

For programmatic platforms, agentic workflows represent a natural evolution of automation.

Instead of replacing human media buyers, many vendors are positioning AI agents as operational co-pilots—systems that handle complex data processing and execution while buyers focus on strategy.

According to Peter Ibarra, general manager of data partnerships at The Trade Desk, the shift is already underway.

“Media buyers using AI as a co-pilot to their strategies and tactics is a win-win for the industry,” Ibarra said, noting that agentic systems can help unlock greater efficiency in campaign planning and execution.

That efficiency could become particularly valuable as programmatic channels—especially connected TV—grow more complex and data-intensive.

Why Agentic Advertising Matters Now

The timing of this development is notable.

Advertisers are navigating several major shifts simultaneously:

• The continued growth of connected TV advertising

• Increasing reliance on AI-driven targeting and optimization

• The need to manage campaigns across an expanding set of platforms and data environments

Agentic AI has the potential to simplify that complexity.

By embedding automation directly into operational tools and enabling systems to communicate with one another, the approach could reduce manual workload while accelerating decision-making.

For Michael Beebe, CEO of Dstillery, the partnership with Keynes represents an early step toward a broader transformation in programmatic infrastructure.

“Custom modeling, planning, and activation can now happen in minutes instead of days,” Beebe said. “Together with partners like The Trade Desk, we’re building the infrastructure for programmatic’s next chapter.”

If that vision plays out, the next era of advertising automation may not just optimize campaigns—it may run much of the workflow itself.

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