Experts from Customer Data Cloud Amperity discuss what 2026 holds for innovation across customer data platforms (CDPs), interoperability and AI across the marketing technology landscape.
Billy Loizou, AVP and General Manager, APAC, Amperity says customer data platforms (CDPs) will evolve from systems of record to systems of intelligence
“The next generation of CDPs won’t just unify and visualise customer data, they’ll analyse it, surface insights, and autonomously recommend optimisations across channels,” he says.
“Originally, CDPs were built to integrate data silos, unify customer records, and provide single-view dashboards. In other words: record, store, visualise.
“However, in 2026 and beyond, they will take on a more dynamic role, embedding AI agents that analyse unified data, generate insights, activate real-time decisions, and then review the results to recommend next best actions in a continuous, iterative cycle.
“That shift transforms a passive database into an active intelligence engine, one designed to sense customer intent, surface opportunities, and drive actions across marketing, operations, and service.”
Loizou also notes that agentic AI will redefine personalisation
“Personalisation will move beyond pre-set rules and static segments. Agentic AI systems trained on unified customer profiles will generate and activate content in real time, adapting to each customer’s intent and context,” he says.
“This will blur the line between data management and creative execution, enabling truly individualised experiences.
“Customer experiences will no longer be built once and reused. Instead, they will adapt in real time as people interact. Marketing technology will shift from isolated tools into a network of interoperable, connected AI agents.
“For example, the AI agents perform specialised functions: one monitors customer behaviour, another optimises offers, and a third adjusts pricing, all drawing from the same underlying customer data. The modern CDP is the central intelligence system that trains, validates, and manages these agents.”
Derek Slager, Chief Technology Officer & Cofounder, Amperity, says composable and zero-copy architectures will soon become standard
“As enterprises reject data duplication and vendor lock-in, the CDPs of the future will integrate directly with existing lakehouse and cloud ecosystems,” he says.
“Next-generation of CDPs will be composable and use a zero-copy approach. Rather than copying data into separate silos, these platforms will connect directly to lakehouse and cloud systems, using existing storage, computing power, and models without creating duplicates.
“For example, a retailer could run a customer segmentation analysis directly on its cloud data warehouse, leveraging real-time purchase and browsing data without exporting or duplicating it. This architecture reduces cost, improves governance, and accelerates innovation.
“Brands maintain full control, integrate with existing systems, and grow their data intelligence without replicating the data chaos of the past.”
Slager also says creative and data workflows will unite for a unified marketing layer
“As agentic AI transforms decision-making, it will also redefine how marketing teams operate. Today, creative development sits in a separate workflow from data analysis and audience strategy, creating two functions that rely on each other but operate on disconnected timelines. Those steps will merge into a single, continuous environment,” he says.
“AI systems will generate content based on live customer context, drawing from unified profiles, behavioural signals, and intent data to shape each step of the process. Instead of exporting segments into creative tools or waiting for performance data to guide revisions, brands will work within an integrated environment where insights and execution inform one another instantly.
“This convergence will accelerate go-to-market cycles and help teams deliver campaigns that are more consistent and relevant. As a result, the marketing stack becomes lighter, more connected, and more focused on driving outcomes.”
Billy Loizou says data trust and transparency will become a competitive differentiator in the CDP space going forward
“As AI-driven decisioning expands, brands will demand full visibility into how data is used, governed, and shared. Future CDPs will need to provide transparent lineage, consent tracking, and explainable AI to build trust across marketing, IT, and compliance teams,” he says.
“Perhaps the most significant shift in the AI era is how trust is shaping business strategy. Brands will differentiate themselves not just through speed or personalisation, but through transparency and clear, explainable AI decisions.
“CDPs will surface not only ‘what we know about a customer’, but ‘how we know it, when we last updated it, and what we will do with it’. Rule-based compliance evolves into brand architecture, making reliable data a key factor in customer loyalty, rather than just a means to meet regulations.”
Grigori Melnik, Chief Product Officer, Amperity says interoperability will overtake integration as the defining value of a CDP
“Enterprises are moving away from monolithic, all-in-one solutions. The most valuable CDPs will be those that interoperate seamlessly with cloud data platforms, analytics tools, and AI applications, without forcing data movement or duplication,” he says.
“Integration used to be the main goal of CDPs, connecting old systems, exporting and importing data, and enabling dashboards. Now, the focus is on interoperability, where systems work together smoothly without friction, duplication, or delay.
“Future CDPs will operate as intelligent orchestration layers where AI agents handle the work that once required separate marketing automation tools and business intelligence platforms.
“Instead of pushing data into downstream systems, these agents will interpret unified customer data, trigger personalised actions in the moment, evaluate outcomes, and adjust decisions on their own. In this model, insights flow continuously, actions adapt in real time, and the lineage of every decision remains intact, all without relying on the legacy tools of the previous era.”
Derek Slager says agentic ecosystems will reshape collaboration in martech
“In the next few years, marketing technology will function less like a toolchain and more like a network of interoperable AI agents. CDPs will play a central role as the intelligence layer connecting these agents, from creative generation to audience activation, all trained on the same customer understanding,” he says.
Slager also anticipates that creative and data workflow will unite for a unified marketing layer
“As agentic AI transforms decision-making, it will also redefine how marketing teams operate. Today, creative development sits in a separate workflow from data analysis and audience strategy, creating two functions that rely on each other but operate on disconnected timelines. Those steps will merge into a single, continuous environment,” he says.
“AI systems will generate content based on live customer context, drawing from unified profiles, behavioural signals, and intent data to shape each step of the process. Instead of exporting segments into creative tools or waiting for performance data to guide revisions, brands will work within an integrated environment where insights and execution inform one another instantly.
“This convergence will accelerate go-to-market cycles and help teams deliver campaigns that are more consistent and relevant. As a result, the marketing stack becomes lighter, more connected, and more focused on driving outcomes.”
Billy Loizou says CDPs will soon extend beyond activation into audience monetisation and media optimisation
“The next phase of CDP evolution will blur the lines between customer data, media performance, and revenue generation. Brands will expect their CDP not only to activate audiences but also to connect audience insights to media performance, optimise spend, and measure return on customer data, all from one unified data foundation,” he says.
“As marketing and media converge, the CDP will become the control centre for audience creation, measurement, and return on customer data.
“Amperity is advancing beyond activation to integrate audience monetisation, media optimisation, and analytics workflows, helping brands simplify their martech stacks and manage the full activation-to-outcome lifecycle from a single source of customer truth.”
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Grigori Melnik, Chief Product Officer, Amperity
Gregori Melnik is a global technology executive with a track record of driving innovation across startups, enterprises, and governments. With deep expertise in product management, architecture, and strategy, Gregori specializes in building high-performance teams and orchestrating scalable growth through both organic and inorganic means.
Having worked across North America and Europe, he brings a diverse international perspective to leadership. Gregori also serves on the boards of multiple startups, advising on the future of AI, software security, FinOps, and medical imaging.
Derek Slager, Chief Technology Officer & Cofounder, Amperity
Derek co-founded Amperity to create a tool that would give marketers and analysts access to accurate, consistent and comprehensive customer data. As CTO, he leads the company’s product, engineering, operations and information security teams to deliver on Amperity’s mission of helping people use data to serve customers. Prior to Amperity, Derek was on the founding team at Appature and held engineering leadership positions at various business and consumer-facing startups, focusing on large-scale distributed systems and security.
Billy Loizou, AVP and General Manager, APAC, Amperity
Billy Loizou has 15-plus years experience in design, technology and marketing. He has worked with some of the world’s most renowned and respected brands, helping them improve their customer experience and drive profitability.
