New Study Finds 76% of Advertisers See Performance Gains from Agentic AI; 86% Would Allocate Up to a Quarter of Advertising Budget to the Open Web with the Right Agentic AI Solution

Taboola’s AI launch is all hype and survey data, with no hard financial proof yet.

What the company is saying

Taboola is positioning itself as a leader in bringing AI-powered advertising beyond the traditional walled gardens of search and social platforms. The company’s core narrative is that advertisers are eager for agentic AI solutions on the open web, and Taboola is stepping in to meet this demand with its new Realize+ beta product. The announcement leans heavily on survey data, claiming that 76% of advertisers already see meaningful uplift from AI on other platforms, and that 80% would immediately boost open web ad spend if comparable solutions existed. Taboola frames its Realize+ launch as a direct response to this pent-up demand, emphasizing the product’s use of first-party data, real-time spend reallocation, and creative automation. The language is assertive and optimistic, repeatedly using terms like 'immediately,' 'meaningful performance uplift,' and 'drive outcomes at scale,' but it avoids any mention of actual financial results, customer wins, or adoption metrics for Realize+ itself. CEO Adam Singolda is named, lending executive credibility, but no outside institutional investors or partners are highlighted. The communication style is classic tech optimism—forward-looking, confident, and focused on potential rather than realized impact. This fits Taboola’s broader investor relations strategy of positioning itself as an innovator and growth story in digital advertising, but the lack of hard numbers or case studies marks a continuation of narrative-driven rather than evidence-driven messaging. There is no notable shift in tone or substance compared to typical product launch communications from the company.

What the data suggests

The only concrete numbers disclosed are from a survey of 200 senior marketers at organizations with monthly ad budgets between $500K and $4.9M. The headline figures—76% seeing performance uplift from AI (on search and social), 80% willing to increase open web spend if comparable AI existed, and 86% willing to allocate up to a quarter of their budget—are all hypothetical or pertain to platforms other than Taboola. There is no disclosure of Taboola’s own revenue, profit, customer adoption rates, or any period-over-period financial metrics. The data does not show whether Realize+ has driven any actual business results, nor does it quantify the scale of adoption or financial impact. Prior targets or guidance are not referenced, and there is no way to assess whether the company is meeting, beating, or missing its own goals. The quality of disclosure is poor from a financial analysis perspective: key metrics are missing, and the only numbers provided are survey responses and unsubstantiated reach claims (such as '600M daily active users'). An independent analyst would conclude that, while advertiser interest in AI is real, there is no evidence in this announcement that Taboola has captured any of this opportunity or that Realize+ is moving the financial needle. The gap between the company’s claims and the data is wide—intent and potential are presented as if they were realized outcomes, but the numbers do not support this.

Analysis

The announcement is upbeat, emphasizing advertiser enthusiasm for AI-powered solutions and Taboola's launch of Realize+ beta. However, most of the measurable data relates to survey responses about current AI use on other platforms (search and social), not to Taboola's own product or financial performance. Key claims about advertiser intent to shift spend and the potential of Realize+ are forward-looking and aspirational, lacking evidence of actual adoption or impact. There is no disclosure of revenue, customer wins, or quantified results from Realize+ itself. The narrative inflates the signal by conflating market sentiment with realized business outcomes, and by presenting intent as if it were imminent action. The data supports that there is advertiser interest in AI, but not that Taboola has yet captured this opportunity.

Risk flags

• ●Operational risk: The Realize+ product is still in beta, and there is no evidence of successful integration or adoption by major advertisers. If the product fails to deliver comparable results to search and social platforms, advertiser interest may not translate into actual spend.
• ●Financial disclosure risk: The announcement omits all key financial metrics—no revenue, profit, or customer win data is provided. This lack of transparency makes it impossible to assess the real business impact of the product launch.
• ●Forward-looking hype risk: The majority of claims are based on hypothetical survey responses and future intent, not on realized outcomes. Investors are being asked to buy into potential rather than performance.
• ●Execution risk: Integrating agentic AI into existing advertiser workflows is cited as a major challenge, especially for large advertisers (74% of those spending $1M–$4.9M per month call integration the dominant roadblock). This could slow or prevent adoption.
• ●Pattern-based risk: The company’s communication style is narrative-driven and avoids hard numbers, which is a red flag for investors seeking evidence-based progress. This pattern suggests a reliance on hype over substance.
• ●Timeline risk: With Realize+ only in beta and no adoption metrics disclosed, any financial benefits are likely to be delayed. Investors face the risk of capital being tied up while waiting for unproven products to gain traction.
• ●Market risk: The survey data shows strong interest in AI, but only on platforms where it is already proven. There is no evidence that advertisers will actually shift budgets to Taboola’s platform, especially if integration challenges persist.
• ●Leadership concentration risk: While CEO Adam Singolda is named, no outside institutional validation or partnership is mentioned. The absence of third-party endorsements or customer case studies increases the risk that the product’s impact is overstated.

Bottom line

For investors, this announcement is more about Taboola’s aspirations than its achievements. The company is betting that advertiser enthusiasm for AI-powered solutions on search and social can be replicated on the open web, and it is positioning Realize+ as the vehicle for this shift. However, there is no evidence in the announcement that Realize+ has driven any actual revenue, customer wins, or measurable business outcomes. The narrative is credible in the sense that advertiser interest in AI is real, but the leap from survey intent to realized spend on Taboola’s platform is unproven and may be substantial. The absence of institutional participation or third-party validation means there is no external check on the company’s claims. To change this assessment, Taboola would need to disclose hard metrics: revenue generated by Realize+, customer adoption rates, case studies showing performance improvements, or signed contracts with major advertisers. In the next reporting period, investors should watch for concrete evidence of adoption—such as the number of advertisers using Realize+, incremental revenue attributed to the product, or customer testimonials. Until such data is provided, this announcement should be treated as a signal to monitor, not to act on. The single most important takeaway is that Taboola’s AI ambitions are still just that—ambitions. Without hard numbers, investors should remain skeptical and demand evidence before assigning value to the Realize+ launch.

Announcement summary

Taboola (Nasdaq: TBLA) announced new research showing that 76% of advertisers are already seeing meaningful performance uplift from AI-powered solutions, mainly on search and social platforms. The study found that 80% of advertisers would immediately increase their ad spend on the open web if comparable agentic AI solutions existed, and 86% would allocate up to a quarter of their performance budget to such a shift. Taboola has launched the Realize+ beta, an agentic solution designed to help advertisers drive outcomes at scale using AI and first-party data. The research surveyed 200 senior performance marketers at organizations with monthly budgets of $500K–$4.9M. This matters to investors as it highlights Taboola's efforts to expand AI-driven advertising beyond traditional platforms and address advertiser demand for scalable, autonomous solutions.

Disagree with this article?