If you’ve been anywhere near the advertising world lately, you’ve probably heard the buzz about AI. But what does it mean for advertisers, publishers, and even consumers? In a recent interview with Ticker News, Rajiv Khaneja, CEO and Founder of AdButler, broke it all down.

Spoiler alert: AI isn’t just changing the game—it’s rewriting the playbook.

Out with the Old, In with the AI-Powered Targeting

The old way of targeting ads was clunky and invasive. Advertisers relied on demographic data like age, gender, and income—info that was often collected through questionable methods. AI balances effectiveness with privacy.

Instead of digging into personal details, it works with anonymous behavior, creating a win-win for advertisers and users alike. It’s the future of advertising, and it’s already here.

Here’s how it works: imagine you’re browsing a retailer’s site, checking out different refrigerators. AI can pick up on that behavior (without knowing who you are), understand your intent, and pop you into a group of people interested in refrigerators.

The result? You get ads that actually make sense, and advertisers aren’t wasting money showing you ads for something random like golf clubs.

Why Your Ads Are Suddenly So Spot-On

Rajiv explained how AI gathers thousands of little signals—like what websites are visited and how long they are viewed—and uses that data to match ads that actually matter to the consumer.

AI doesn’t just make ads better for advertisers; it makes them better for the viewer too. No more irrelevant, annoying ads cluttering your screen. Instead, you see offers you might actually care about.

Rajiv put it this way: “It’s a win-win. Users get a better experience, and advertisers get more bang for their buck.”

Think of it like booking a flight. Nobody wants to fly a plane that’s half-empty—it’s wasteful. AI is like the travel agent who ensures every seat is filled with the right people, making the whole trip (or ad campaign) way more efficient.

“It’s like having empty seats on your plane. If you’re not using AI to target the right audience, you’re wasting money—and no advertiser wants that.” - Rajiv Khaneja - CEO & Founder

AI Isn’t Just Smarter—It’s Faster and Better

Prior to AI, when it came to figuring out what an article or webpage was about, someone had to manually tag content or rely on outdated keywords. Now, AI does it automatically and at lightning speed.

Leveraging AI is like having a human read and understand thousands of pages at once.

The result of this rapid digestion of information means that publishers and advertisers have the means to uncover patterns in consumer behavior that past methods simply could not, which will let them serve up campaigns that hit the mark every time.

Why You Can’t Afford to Skip AI

The integration of AI is no longer optional—it’s essential. AI is transforming the way advertisers optimize campaigns, target audiences, and measure outcomes. If you’re not leveraging AI, you risk falling behind competitors who are using it to gain a competitive edge.

Advertisers are becoming increasingly strategic and data-driven in their spending, prioritizing platforms and publishers that can consistently deliver measurable, high-quality results.

Final Thoughts

Rajiv Khaneja gave us a lot to think about AI's transformative impact on how we experience advertising. From smarter targeting to real-time optimization, it’s making ads more relevant, efficient, and user-friendly.

The next time you see an ad that actually feels useful, you might just have AI to thank for that!

Want to learn more about how AdButler is shaping the future of digital advertising? Check out adbutler.com or follow us on LinkedIn

Read the coverage on Ticker News here