AI and machine learning can now recommend the dominant color in an ad image based on historical ad performance. But this is just the beginning. Marketers will see advancements that enable an understanding of the contextual effect of objects, texts, and situations and will make recommendations based on the data.

Craig Dempster, global CEO, Merkle, has worked for the customer experience management company for about 15 years. How he got there seems more serendipitous than he acknowledges.

Sheri Bachstein, global head of IBM Watson Advertising and The Weather Company, believes 2021 will see more advanced technologies such as AI and AR come into play across a variety of platforms.

"California will have its own dedicated agency that enforces CPRA, which will have its own budget to go after companies that do not comply," said Heather Federman, vice president of privacy and policy at BigID.