The Affiliate and Partner Marketing Association (APMA) has announced the launch of a new AI Taskforce, geared towards guiding the industry through the opportunities and challenges presented by the quickly evolving technology in 2026.
The taskforce seeks to ensure that the affiliate and partner marketing channel remains “visible, fairly valued and responsibly represented in AI-driven discovery,” the Association shared last week.
Chaired by Awin’s Director of Artificial Intelligence Strategy, James Bentley, the taskforce’s leadership will be joined by Alex Springer, Senior Director of AI Strategy and Partnerships at impact.com, alongside representatives from Acceleration Partners, CJ, Revlifter and Adtraction.
The launch follows the Association’s industry meeting in November 2025, where members spotlighted AI as a focal point for the new year.
Indeed, AI is quickly rewriting the consumer journey.
Recent Capgemini research identified that more than half (58%) of consumers have now swapped traditional search engines for Gen AI Tools for product recommendations, while 71% want further integration into their purchasing experiences.
The taskforce’s 2026 roadmap targets exactly this, with an emphasis on understanding and responding to zero-click and AI-mediated customer journeys, as well as the risks associated with AI platforms becoming “dominant intermediaries.”
Another point of focus will be on ensuring affiliate marketing has a seat at the table in AI policy and regulatory discussions.
More broadly, the APMA’s workshop laid out a number of recommendations, including:
- The development of an AI-era attribution framework
- Running zero-click attribution pilots to assess alternative measurement approaches, and
- The appointment of an independent AI expert advisor for education, strategy and policy engagement.
But despite the commercial challenges presented by AI, there is “cautious optimism” among brands, agencies and publishers, according to APMA data.
Almost half (44%) consider AI an opportunity, compared to the 9% that viewed it as a threat.
“The commercial challenges to the channel are real but so are the opportunities,” said the APMA in a statement.
