Criteo has been nominated for the 2026 World AI Awards in the Ad Targeting category, recognising the advertising technology company’s work in artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and personalised digital advertising.
The nomination comes as advertisers face a familiar problem with increasingly complicated consequences: reaching people who might actually want their products without wasting money on impressions that lead nowhere.
The World AI Awards recognises organisations, individuals, products and technologies contributing to the development and real-world application of artificial intelligence across industries.
For Criteo, AI sits at the centre of its commerce advertising business. The company develops technology that analyses shopping behaviour, predicts purchasing intent and helps brands decide which advertisements to display, where to place them and how much to bid.
AI makes advertising decisions in milliseconds
One of Criteo’s central technologies is its Predictive Bidding system, which uses machine learning to estimate how likely a shopper is to engage with an advertisement, complete a purchase or generate revenue.
Rather than applying the same bidding strategy to every advertising opportunity, the system evaluates individual impressions and adjusts bids according to their predicted value.
Criteo says its technology can make these decisions in approximately 10 milliseconds, allowing advertisers to compete for placements through real-time advertising auctions.
The company also operates its Commerce AI technology, which draws on shopping activity and product information to identify patterns in consumer behaviour.
According to Criteo, its commerce intelligence incorporates information covering approximately 740 million daily shoppers and five billion products.
These company-reported figures illustrate the scale of data involved in its advertising models, although access to extensive data does not automatically guarantee stronger campaign performance.
From browsing behaviour to personalised product recommendations
Criteo’s advertising technology goes beyond deciding who should see an advertisement.
Its Product Recommendations system uses shopping signals to identify products that may interest individual consumers, including items they have not previously viewed.
Someone browsing running shoes, for example, might later encounter advertisements featuring related footwear or accessories rather than a generic promotion for an entire online store.
Criteo combines this technology with Dynamic Creative Optimization+, which automatically adjusts advertising content using product recommendations, pricing information and other available campaign data.
The objective is straightforward: make advertisements more relevant while helping retailers turn browsing activity into purchases.
Criteo has also introduced deep-learning systems designed to improve how its advertising engine selects products and determines bids.
In October 2026, the company reported that two newer production models generated more than a 2% increase in advertiser value at unchanged spending levels. The result is company-reported and should not be interpreted as a guaranteed improvement for every advertiser.
Helping brands reach customers beyond traditional retargeting
Criteo’s technology is also being used to identify potential customers who have not previously visited an advertiser’s website.
Through Commerce Audiences, brands can develop campaigns using shopping intent, contextual information and behavioural signals rather than relying exclusively on broad demographic categories.
One example comes from German beauty retailer Sephora, which used Criteo’s Similar Audiences technology to expand its customer reach.
According to Criteo’s published case study, the campaign reached 7.2 million unique users, while similar-audience prospects accounted for 25% of sales attributed to the retargeting campaign.
The results demonstrate how predictive audience modelling can support customer acquisition alongside conventional retargeting.
World AI Awards recognises innovation in advertising technology
Graham Cooke, President of the World AI Awards, said:
“Criteo’s nomination highlights the growing importance of artificial intelligence in digital advertising, where brands increasingly need to understand consumer intent and make more informed decisions about how they reach potential customers.
“From predictive bidding and personalised product recommendations to AI-powered audience targeting, Criteo demonstrates how machine learning can help advertisers connect commerce data with practical marketing decisions. We congratulate the Criteo team on its 2026 World AI Awards nomination and look forward to following the continued development of its advertising technologies.”
Criteo joins organisations, entrepreneurs, researchers and technology developers being recognised through the 2026 World AI Awards.
The programme celebrates contributions to artificial intelligence across industries, including marketing, healthcare, finance, manufacturing and enterprise technology.
Criteo’s nomination in the Ad Targeting category reflects how AI is becoming increasingly embedded in everyday commercial decisions. Behind a seemingly ordinary digital advertisement, multiple predictive models may be evaluating purchasing intent, selecting products and determining the value of an advertising opportunity.
The wider challenge is balancing more relevant advertising with consumer privacy, transparency and responsible data practices. For companies such as Criteo, the development of advertising intelligence will increasingly depend on addressing those concerns alongside measurable business outcomes.
Learn more about Criteo and its advertising technology at https://www.criteo.com/.
Discover the World AI Awards 2026, explore the nominees and learn more about the awards at https://www.worldawards.ai/.
