AARON Signals 2026 maps AI creative trends

The report notes that fully commissioned commercial AI work remains relatively limited

The AARON Awards has published AARON Signals 2026, a global report examining how artificial intelligence is reshaping advertising, brand storytelling and creative production. Drawing on entries from 45 countries, the report highlights how AI is becoming embedded in commercial workflows and why creative judgement is emerging as a key differentiator.

Based on insights gathered through the inaugural AARON Awards, the report combines analysis of awarded work, jury discussions, creator interviews and observations from agencies, AI-focused studios, brands and independent artists. It explores the operational, creative and cultural changes taking place as AI adoption moves beyond experimentation and into production environments.

From AI experimentation to creative execution

A central finding of the report is that the use of AI alone is no longer enough to distinguish creative work. As generative AI becomes more common in commercial production, success increasingly depends on how effectively organisations combine technology with creative direction, workflow design, governance and production expertise.

The report identifies several themes shaping the industry, including workflow-led creativity, agentic production systems, hybrid production models, governance challenges and the emergence of AI-native studios. It also points to a growing divide between high-quality AI craft and large volumes of commoditised content.

Speculative work dominates AI creative output

One of the strongest trends identified in AARON Signals 2026 is the prevalence of speculative and self-initiated projects across the AI creative community. The most-entered category in the inaugural AARON Awards was Best AI Spec Ad for Brand, indicating that many creators are using independent projects to test the limits of AI-driven storytelling and production.

The report notes that fully commissioned commercial AI work remains relatively limited. Brands and agencies continue to address governance requirements, operational processes and workflow integration as they explore wider adoption of AI technologies.

APAC gains recognition in global competition

The report also highlights the performance of the Asia-Pacific region, which accounted for 15 percent of total submissions. Australian entries achieved notable results, representing 21 percent of all shortlisted work.

Among the winners was Thinkerbell, which received the Best Hybrid Production award for The Last Order, created for Menulog Australia.

Industry insights drawn from creators

Marie-Céline Merret Wirström, Co-Founder, AARON Awards and MC&V: "For us, it was important to document and share what we’re seeing through AARON to help the industry evolve. Through the submitted work itself and conversations with the people actively making this work every day. There’s a huge amount of learning happening across the community right now, but not enough of it is being properly captured or shared."

According to the report's authors, many of the findings are informed by creators actively working with AI production systems rather than theoretical assessments of future industry trends.

Community-driven perspective

Vinne Schifferstein Vidal, Co-Founder, AARON Awards and MC&V: "We’ve built a global community of more than 2,000 AI artists, creatives and makers around AARON, and many of the insights in this report come directly from the people shaping this space in real time. Voices like Rory Flynn, Hugo Barbera and many others who’ve been experimenting, building workflows and pushing AI production forward for years now. What makes this report different is that it’s grounded in the day-to-day reality of making the work, not just high-level theory of corporate forecasting. These are the people actually building what the industry is seeing out there."

The publication forms part of the broader mission of the AARON Awards, which aims to establish AI-driven advertising and brand storytelling as a recognised creative discipline while highlighting the role of human direction, originality and craft.

Named after the pioneering AI artist system AARON, the awards were created to recognise excellence in AI-powered advertising and brand storytelling regardless of the tools or platforms used. The inaugural programme featured jury members from organisations including Monks, Google, Jellyfish, Code and Theory, Edelman, Springboards, Envato and LTX Studio.

The full report can be accessed here

www.aaronawards.com

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