Intent
In ARTF, the label attached to a mutation that states its purpose, such as adding metrics or activating a deal, so the host can decide whether to allow it.
Agentic Advertising
How AI agents buy and sell media. AdCP, ARTF, sell-side agents and principal media, explained by a 20-year ad tech insider. Plain-language explainers, standards comparisons and what agencies are asking for in RFPs.
Latest
Least-Data Principle
An ARTF rule that agents receive only the minimum bid request data the host allows, with private and competitive signals removed.
Mandate
The written set of limits that governs what an AI agent may do, typically covering budget, pricing, audiences, brand safety rules and the conditions that require human approval.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
An open standard for connecting AI applications to external data sources, tools and workflows through a common interface. AdCP uses MCP as a transport layer.
Media Buy
In AdCP, the object representing a complete campaign, including its packages, budget, targeting and creatives.
Mutation
In ARTF, a single proposed change to an OpenRTB bid request, defined by an intent, an operation (add, replace or remove) and a path. The host accepts or rejects each mutation independently.
OpenProposal
A draft object in IAB Tech Lab's AAMP 3.0 work that describes what is being bought and sold in a structured format AI agents can parse.
Package
In AdCP, a specific advertising product within a media buy, with its own pricing and targeting. It maps to the line item in a traditional ad server.
Request Signing
The practice of cryptographically signing an API request so the receiver can verify who sent it and detect whether it was altered in transit.
Sales Agent (Seller Agent)
An AI agent acting on behalf of a publisher or seller to describe, price and sell inventory. In AdCP, a sales agent is an MCP server that exposes a publisher's inventory for discovery, buying and campaign management.
Signal Agent
In AdCP, a server that lets buyers discover and activate audience, contextual and other targeting signals, privately for one buyer or across a marketplace.
Sponsored Agents
A ChatGPT ad unit, announced by OpenAI on September 16, 2026, that opens a labeled conversation between a user and a brand's own AI agent inside ChatGPT.