Google Cloud cites 35% ROAS lift and MLB Scout as agentic AI proof points

A Google Cloud pre-show post by Anil Jain and Albert Lai draws a direct line from generative AI demos to agentic AI deployments — systems that reason through multi-step goals and execute autonomously with human oversight — naming it the central transition at NAB 2026.

The post names specific deployments with numbers. Cadent built custom AI agents on Gemini Enterprise, reporting a 35% increase in campaign return on ad spend and 3,000 employee hours saved on manual tasks. Gray Media is running AI-driven real-time viewer intelligence across 1,300 digital touchpoints spanning 113 TV markets. MLB's Scout Insights feature uses Gemini for real-time AI-powered color commentary delivered during live games.

Beyond those three, Google Cloud is showing Avid integrations for post-production, Groupe CANAL+ archive automation workflows, and NBCUniversal's athlete-to-fan AI tool deployed at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The breadth of named deployments across advertising, local broadcast, live sports, archive, and major events is the argument: agentic AI is not a category preview but a layer already running across media operations at scale.

"Generative AI helps creatives produce content. Agentic AI goes further, reasoning through multi-step goals and using specialized tools to solve complex problems, always with human oversight," the post states.