The advancement of artificial intelligence and what’s often referred to as “vibe-coding” are eroding the traditional barriers to building software functionality in the media and entertainment industry.
That’s the DPP’s findings in its latest report, NAB 2026: Demand vs Supply, exploring the major talking points from the 2026 NAB Show.
It suggests that there was a “growing preoccupation with agency” at the show.
“While most of us are more than willing to give up on tedious manual workflows, we have an urgent need to feel that we understand, have influence, and trust what is happening within an increasingly complex and automated industry,” said the report.
“This shift is being driven, in large part, by the rapid development of AI, and in particular agentic AI.”
According to the report, a number of vendors at NAB appeared to recognise this shift and instead focused on partnership, interoperability, and openness. “This includes partnership not only with customers, but also with other vendors, including those that might traditionally be seen as competitors,” it added.
“We are entering a post-functional era where creating new functionality is becoming faster, easier, and increasingly commoditised through AI,” said report author and DPP technology strategist David Thompson. “As a result, trust, transparency, and the quality of vendor relationships are becoming just as important as functionality itself.”
The report also focuses on three themes shaping conversations across the show floor: cloud repatriation, security and trust, and from meeting to live (video conferencing and live production).
It finds that:
- Cloud repatriation is becoming one of the industry’s most contested topics, as organisations reassess ‘cloud-first’ strategies in response to growing concerns around cost, control, and jurisdiction.
- Security conversations are shifting beyond traditional protection models towards wider questions of trust, accountability, and visibility in increasingly AI-driven and fragmented environments.
- Video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams are now becoming part of live production workflows across media, enterprise, education, and government.
NAB 2026: Demand vs Supply is available to DPP members. Download the report here.
