At the ISE 2026 Digital Signage Summit, speakers from Poppulo, Intel, Navori Labs and Spectrio explored how generative AI, analytics and emerging agentic AI are being integrated into signage networks.

The opportunity goes well beyond generating content. AI is already being applied to areas such as content creation and automated workflows, as invidis reported in 2025, while audience analytics and contextual data are enabling signage systems to respond more intelligently to what is happening around a screen.

Making signage more responsive

Modern digital out-of-home (DooH) systems can already adapt messages according to factors such as audience demographics, location and weather. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) identifies this kind of real-time, data-driven targeting as one of the core capabilities of DooH.

AI-powered analytics can add another layer. Computer vision, for example, can provide anonymous information about the people viewing a display. ISE exhibitor Quividi says its audience-measurement technology can estimate characteristics including age and gender and measure signals such as attention time and smiles. Its integration with NEOSCREEN can then use audience attributes to trigger different content.

That is different from facial recognition, which involves identifying or matching an individual. For digital signage operators, the more relevant opportunity is often anonymous audience analysis: using broad characteristics and behaviour to make content more appropriate to the people currently in front of a screen.

The result can be more contextually relevant advertising, although greater engagement should not be assumed. Performance still depends on the creative, the audience, the location and how the technology is implemented.

AI and programmatic are not the same thing

AI is also becoming part of a wider ecosystem of automation, but it is important to distinguish it from programmatic advertising.

Programmatic DooH automates the buying, selling and delivery of advertising inventory. Campaigns can be targeted according to factors such as audience, time, location and other contextual data, replacing parts of the traditional manual buying process with automated transactions.

AI can complement these systems by analysing data, identifying patterns or helping determine which content might be most appropriate. But programmatic advertising is not, in itself, AI.

More intelligent retail experiences

The same technologies are also finding their way into interactive retail signage and kiosks.

Computer vision and analytics can help systems understand broad audience characteristics, while interactive interfaces can use information supplied by customers to deliver more relevant product information or recommendations. Intel's overview of smart-store technology describes digital signs using computer vision and analytics to provide real-time advertising or customised product recommendations, as well as interactive kiosks that display relevant information about nearby products.

Rather than a kiosk simply displaying the same message to everybody, an intelligent system might change the information it presents according to the products being explored, the customer's selections or the context in which the display is being used.

The commercial effect will vary from deployment to deployment. What AI offers is an additional source of information that can help retailers make the digital experience more responsive.

AI is changing content workflows too

Generative AI is creating another set of opportunities behind the screen.

Digital signage software provider ScreenCloud, for example, says AI tools can generate headlines, images and layouts rapidly, helping teams develop signage content more quickly. It also describes AI tools that can analyse content performance and help users identify which messages work best.

This is particularly relevant for organisations managing large signage estates. Creating, adapting and updating content across hundreds or thousands of endpoints can be resource-intensive. AI-assisted creation can accelerate parts of that workflow, while conventional content management systems continue to handle functions such as scheduling and distribution.

Analytics can then feed information back into the process. Instead of treating a signage campaign as something that is published and forgotten, operators can use performance data to test different approaches and refine future content.

From AI pilots to practical deployment

The direction of travel was clear at ISE 2026. The Digital Signage Summit session AI Disrupting Digital Signage: From Pilots to Real-World Impact examined generative AI for content and coding, analytic AI for data-driven insights and the emergence of agentic AI, while also addressing the challenges of integrating these technologies into real signage networks.

Another ISE session, What's Next for Signage?, focused on AI moving from pilot projects towards productive deployments, alongside the wider technology and market trends reshaping the sector.

For digital signage and DooH, that is the important shift. AI does not automatically make a campaign more engaging or profitable. But it is giving operators new ways to understand audiences, create and optimise content, and make displays more responsive to their context.

At ISE, the Digital Signage & DooH Zone and Digital Signage Summit bring together the technology providers and industry experts exploring how those capabilities are developing – and where AI can deliver practical value rather than simply adding another layer of hype.

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Further reading

Find out more about digital signage at ISE

Learn more about why retail professionals should come to ISE

Related articles:

• How smart stores are using data to improve experiences – Discover how retailers are turning real-world data into smarter, more responsive customer experiences.
• The future of digital signage depends on ecosystems, not platforms – Find out why the next generation of digital signage depends on connected technologies working together.
• How AI is reshaping customer engagement – Explore how AI is helping organisations create more personalised and responsive customer experiences.