The Media Association for the Free Press (MVFP) hosted an Experience Day in Düsseldorf. One topic dominated the day: artificial intelligence. It is transforming processes. It is also transforming entire markets.

The new AI world order

Carsten Knop, editor-in-chief of the *Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung*, delivered a key keynote address. His message: the new AI world order will not emerge of its own accord. It is being built on the back of enormous investment. It is transforming information flows and value chains. Power dynamics in the media and advertising sectors are also shifting. Trust remains a crucial factor for success. Knop concluded with a clear appeal: “Retain your freedom of choice.”

What this means for publishers

This question is currently on the minds of many publishers. In future, AI agents will plan campaigns and compare offers. They will carry out media buying automatically. Competitiveness will then depend on the technical interoperability of publishers’ systems. Agentic Media Buying also opens up new opportunities for print. The prerequisite: the systems behind the scenes must be able to support this transformation.

A dual transformation

The industry is undergoing several upheavals simultaneously: SAP IS-M/AM is reaching the end of its life cycle, the OBS online booking system is set to be phased out and the industry standard DBCFM is continuing to gain in importance.

Talking about AI is therefore not enough. Publishers must also modernise the technical foundations of their business models.

ISS Nautilus 4 Print: ready for agency-managed booking processes

With ISS Nautilus 4 Print, we support publishers in taking this step. The software modernises traditional advertising processes. It integrates digital marketing models and standardised interfaces such as DBCFM.

SQL Service has integrated DBCFM into ISS Nautilus. Furthermore, we are actively involved in shaping the further development of the standard. In this way, we are laying the foundations for seamless integration. Print, digital and future agency-driven bookings all work together seamlessly.

Our conclusion

AI will bring about many changes. However, it only realises its full potential when combined with modern processes and systems. In short: agency-driven media buying requires agency-driven booking systems.

We would like to thank the MVFP for an exciting day and many fruitful discussions.