Digital media consultant Mark Challinor continues the News Horizons series, which features interviews with the people shaping tomorrow’s media. Today, he talks to Hope Frank, leader of the AI Group at the Forbes Communications Council, USA.
Hope Frank, Leader of the AI Group for the Forbes Communications Council
In 2026, the CMO in any media company is no longer just a storyteller; they are a governor. Hope Frank, leader of the AI Group for the Forbes Communications Council, believes the future of media belongs to those who can bridge the gap between human imagination and machine accountability.
Frank is also the chief marketing and AI officer for Gathid Identities (think of it as a “Google Maps” for a company’s security, taking data from across the organisation and connecting it all into one clear picture). Previously, she led strategic content and brand initiatives for Warner Bros Discovery, Apple, Visa, Nike, Amazon and CNN.
“Something extraordinary has happened in marketing,” Frank says, leaning into the screen with the kind of intensity that suggests the future didn’t just arrive – it kicked the door down. “We no longer manage brands. We manage living ecosystems of humans, machines, and meaning.”
We are sitting down to discuss the 2026 CMO Mandate. According to Gartner, 65% of CMOs have already seen their roles undergo a radical metamorphosis, shifting from traditional executors to designers of “human-AI teams.” In Frank’s world, the centre of gravity has shifted to a single, high-stakes concept: Identity.
Not just yours. Not just mine. But the identity of the AI agents that are increasingly making decisions on our behalf.
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The last 12 months have been a reckoning for “spray-and-pray” digital advertising. The industry hasn’t just matured; it has militarised around trust.
“The companies that govern identity win,” Frank asserts. “AI has flourished, but without trusted identity, it creates chaos. We’ve shifted from being a solution company to becoming the trust fabric of the AI economy. If you don’t know who is acting—human or machine—you don’t have a business; you have a liability."
It’s a blunt assessment of the “surveillance capitalism” model that defined the last decade. In its place, Frank describes an “identity-governed AI layer” for marketing. It is, as she calls it, “civilisation for AI.”
I asked Frank about Big Tech as the “engine,” ie, if they own the infrastructure, where does that leave everyone else? “Big Tech builds the engine; we govern the drivers,” said Frank. “The future isn’t about competing with the platforms – that’s a losing game. It’s about ensuring their intelligence can be trusted, audited, and monetised safely. Real power now lives in who controls consent and accountability. In a world of autonomous AI, that’s the only leverage that matters. We’re entering a phase where brands no longer compete for human attention. They compete for trust inside algorithms. If an AI agent doesn’t trust your data or your privacy posture, you simply disappear from its recommendations. Brand used to be what you said about yourself. Now, brand is what machines believe about you”.
But doesn’t that sound like a nightmare for traditional media buyers?
Frank says: “It’s an evolution. Advertisers don’t want 'audiences' any more; they want emotional alignment. They want to know: Who is open to inspiration? Who is ready to buy? Publishers are no longer media sellers; they are intelligence partners. Every major advertiser is replacing human planners with AI agents. They need partners who provide predictive models and governance, not just impressions”.
If you’re still thinking about SEO and social feeds, Frank suggests you’ve already lost the next generation. For Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, the “search bar” is a relic of the past. “Gen-Z doesn’t search. They ask,” she says. “They speak to AI companions. These systems choose which brands to surface. We have to be discoverable and trusted by the machines shaping their reality. They don’t consume feeds—they consume AI-curated worlds and gaming engines.”
To keep up, Frank’s team doesn’t deploy a “Global AI.” Instead, they use Sovereign AI Ecosystems (ie the ability to develop, host, and govern artificial intelligence using its own infrastructure, data, and talent) – locally governed, globally connected. It’s a way to scale trust while respecting local nuance. “We don’t distribute campaigns; we reinterpret them. AI helps us adapt humour, cultural nuance, and narrative pacing so it feels like it was built for that specific market.”
This shift isn’t just external. The very structure of the advertising sales team is being dismantled. The “Mad Men” days of lunch-and-persuasion are being replaced by what Frank calls “consultative orchestration.”
“Sales teams now sit with data scientists and AI architects,” she explains. “We aren’t selling inventory; we’re selling a growth engine. Relationships are built on shared data, dashboards, and accountability. You can’t afford to be in the wrong algorithm or take a tone-deaf approach in 2026.”
Despite the talk of algorithms and “non-human identity,” Frank remains an optimist about the human element. The fear that AI replaces the creative is, in her view, a misunderstanding of what creativity actually is.
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“AI can generate infinite content, but only humans can create meaning,” she says. “When you combine human imagination with AI amplification, you don’t just get better marketing—you get a new renaissance of storytelling. AI frees marketers by removing the guesswork. It gives them the freedom to be brave. And bravery is where culture is born.”
As we move into a decade defined by AI-to-AI negotiation and real-time creative mutation, the message is clear: The “Wild West” of the internet is over.
The era of trusted intelligence is here.
My interview with Hope Frank reveals a fundamental pivot: the media industry has moved from a battle for attention to a battle for algorithmic trust.
For media companies, the takeaway is clear—your brand is no longer just what you tell consumers; it is what machines believe about you. AI now is expected to drive measurable business outcomes like efficiency gains and ROI rather than just brand experiments. Indeed, many attendees and press described this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as a year of AI “settling in” – where value is created by “thoughtful, mature execution, not sizzle”.
Overall, these are my key takeaways for media from my really interesting and thought-provoking time with Frank:
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Identity is the New Currency: In a world of autonomous AI agents, “data without identity is worthless.” Media companies must move from selling “reach” to providing identity-verified outcomes. If an AI agent doesn’t trust your data, you are invisible.
The Rise of “Civilisation for AI”: We are shifting toward an “identity-governed AI layer.” This means publishers must become intelligence partners rather than just inventory sellers, helping brands navigate a landscape where machines make the buying decisions.
Sovereign AI Ecosystems: To scale globally, media must act locally. By deploying sovereign AI, companies can adapt humour and cultural nuance in real-time, ensuring content feels native to every market.
The New Sales Mandate: Selling is now orchestration. Sales teams must pair with data scientists to offer “growth engines” built on shared dashboards and accountability.
Ultimately, Frank says that AI doesn’t replace the creator, it removes the guesswork. It seems to me that the winners will be those who use AI to amplify “human bravery” while providing the governance that turns raw data into trusted intelligence. As Frank told me, in her parting shot, her encouragement to CMOs is all about consumer trust and transparent data practices at the centre while communicating how data is used to increase personalisation… without compromising privacy. Amen.