AI Is No Longer the Premium ...
By Simon Ellicott · September 2, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
AI Is No Longer the Premium ...
There is a slightly uncomfortable contradiction emerging for Amazon agency owners.
They are, quite rightly, enthusiastic about AI.
It is streamlining delivery, removing repetitive work, increasing capacity and allowing agencies to grow without automatically adding more headcount.
All good things.
But many owners are then surprised to discover that acquirers are no longer placing a significant premium on AI enablement.
The problem is relatively simple:
Every time an agency introduces another clever automation, its competitors are usually doing something remarkably similar. What felt like a breakthrough 18 months ago is rapidly becoming table stakes.
AI may be improving the agency, but it is not necessarily making it more valuable relative to its peers.
And, rather counterintuitively, deeply embedded proprietary operating systems can occasionally make an agency less attractive to certain buyers.
If the acquirer intends to integrate the agency into its own infrastructure, it may first need to unpick years of bespoke workflows, automations and internal technology.
That creates cost, complexity and integration risk.
There is another issue too.
Many acquirers expect to create value after completion by introducing their own technology, removing duplication and improving operational efficiency.
But if the acquired agency is already running extremely lean, with AI embedded throughout the delivery model, those quick wins may no longer exist.
There is less headcount to consolidate.
Fewer obvious efficiencies to unlock.
And therefore less immediate opportunity to improve EBITDA.
None of this means agencies should slow down their adoption of AI. Quite the opposite.
They need it simply to remain competitive, but owners should stop assuming that every internal efficiency automatically translates into additional enterprise value.
The value increasingly sits beyond the technology itself:
In the quality of the client base.
The predictability of revenue.
The strength of the leadership team.
The transferability of the operating model.
The strategic capability of the agency.
And, crucially, how easily the business can be integrated into someone else’s.
AI can make an agency considerably better.
It just no longer makes it particularly unusual.
#AmazonAgency #AgencyAcquisitions #AgencyAI
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