Amazon Ads folds sponsored, display, CTV into AI stack

Amazon Ads used its unBoxed conference in September to rename its buying console 'Amazon Ads Agent' and fold sponsored search, display, video and streaming TV into a single AI-driven interface, Digiday reported. The relaunch shifts more of the media-buying stack onto Amazon's own models weeks after the FTC and 22 state attorneys general sued the company in August 2026, alleging secret surcharges inside its ad auctions.

Two new products carry the shift. DVA+ merges Sponsored Display, Sponsored TV and programmatic buying into one workflow, with a simplified mode that hands optimization to Amazon's AI and an advanced tier for buyers who still want to control targeting, deals, supply sources, frequency and bidding. Full-Funnel Campaigns goes further: advertisers specify products, creative and budget, and the platform executes across every format, optimizing toward metrics like new-to-brand customers and 'Long-Term Sales.'

Kelly MacLean, a vice president at Amazon Ads, framed the pitch as 'bringing the power of programmatic advertising to all advertisers,' and described the model as 'human-led AI supported.' Amit Bhattacharyya, VP of full-funnel products, AI and modeling, put the design brief more bluntly: 'What if we made it really simple, and yet very powerful for advertising?'

The transparency question is where the room got quieter. Digiday flagged three areas advertisers are watching: budget and creative auditability, third-party data integration, and clarity on fees and auction mechanics. Asked whether the new tools would reveal individual winning prices in Sponsored Ads, Amazon declined to commit and reiterated that it disputes the FTC's claims. On audiences, Bhattacharyya conceded the platform still has work to do: 'We are figuring out how to give them more transparency on the audience side.'