What CMOs need to know about AI in retail, according to NVIDIA: personalization, autonomous agents, and adaptive advertising

Artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental tool within marketing departments and has become a resource that is beginning to influence the entire consumer journey: from content creation and ad placement to product recommendations, personalization, and customer service. For CMOs and marketing leaders, this shift involves much more than simply incorporating generative AI tools into their teams.

The report State of AI in Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods: 2026 Trends, published by NVIDIA, reveals that retail companies and consumer goods businesses are moving toward systems capable of analyzing information, modifying messages, and even executing actions autonomously.

Digital commerce —which includes ecommerce, marketing, and advertising— is currently one of the leading areas of artificial intelligence adoption: 61% of organizations use AI in this category, compared with 57% previously.

Content creation is just the beginning for marketing

Generating advertising materials is among the most widespread applications. 67% of organizations use artificial intelligence to create marketing and advertising content, according to the report.

However, AI applications now extend far beyond content creation. 58% use recommendation systems, 54% leverage AI for marketing and advertising placement, 52% for adaptive advertising, and 50% for customer service assistants.

For CMOs, these figures highlight a shift from AI being used solely as a creative tool toward technologies that can directly contribute to campaign distribution, optimization, and personalization.

Adaptive advertising, for example, makes it possible to tailor experiences and messages based on available information about individual consumers, while recommendation systems determine which products are most likely to be relevant as users browse.

AI agents enter the marketing landscape

One of the major developments NVIDIA identifies for 2026 is the rise of agentic AI, referring to systems capable of reasoning, planning, and executing tasks with a certain degree of autonomy.

47% of organizations are already using or evaluating artificial intelligence agents. Within this group, 20% report having actively deployed them, while another 21% plan to implement them over the next year.

Marketing is already emerging as one of their areas of application. 48% of organizations implementing these systems use AI agents for personalized marketing and advertising.

Unlike traditional tools, these agents can go beyond data analysis. According to the report, they can act on information obtained in real time, adjust messages, recommend products, and help guide purchasing decisions based on each customer’s context.

Personalization extends to the moment of purchase

The advancement of artificial intelligence is also changing how consumers discover products.

42% use AI for catalog enrichment, enabling businesses to dynamically improve and localize product information through text, images, and videos. Another 31% use shopping assistants to help customers discover and purchase products through personalized experiences.

This evolution points toward what the report calls agentic commerce, a scenario in which artificial intelligence agents can interpret consumer intent and actively participate in product selection and recommendations.

For brands, this could transform a fundamental aspect of digital strategy: it will no longer be enough to persuade consumers directly. Companies will also need to structure their catalogs, data, and product information so that AI systems can understand and use them when generating recommendations.

CMOs will also need to focus on productivity and talent

The impact of AI is not limited to consumers. 54% of organizations say the technology has already increased employee productivity, while 52% report improvements in operational efficiency and 41% have seen progress in customer experience.

However, technological growth is creating another challenge. The proportion of companies identifying the lack of specialized AI talent as a barrier increased from 31% to 46%, making it the leading obstacle to implementation.

For CMOs in 2026, the challenge is therefore not simply deciding which tools to use. They will also need to determine which activities to automate, where to maintain human involvement, how to prepare their teams, and what data they need to deliver truly valuable personalization.

The trend reflected in the report suggests that artificial intelligence in marketing is evolving from generating content to actively participating in the execution of commercial strategies. For brands, the next competitive advantage may depend less on having access to AI and more on knowing how to integrate it into advertising, ecommerce, and customer experience ahead of their competitors.