Ad Industry Launches AdCP to Set Media-Buying Standards for AI Agents

Digital advertising has long relied on OpenRTB and individual platform APIs, but most workflows still require people to operate user interfaces. As AI agents begin planning, negotiating and placing ads on users’ behalf, companies including Yahoo, PubMatic and Scope3 are promoting the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP). The shared, machine-readable standard is designed to reduce integration costs while preserving transparency and auditability.

AdCP was publicly released on October 15, 2025, with initial support from more than 20 companies. Its code was simultaneously published on GitHub under the MIT License, and its first modules covered audience activation, media buying and curation. A March 2, 2026, report said AdCP can operate alongside OpenRTB, allowing agents to directly explore inventory, negotiate prices and deploy budgets. The initiative disclosed no investment or transaction amount.