The collaboration will spotlight Athena by Zeta, the superintelligent agent aiming to redefine enterprise marketer efficiency and ROI
The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has evolved far beyond consumer gadgets, now serving as a critical platform for enterprise technology and major industry shifts. For the marketing sector, the discussion at CES 2026 will be dominated by the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence, a theme Zeta Global is poised to capitalize on with a series of exclusive programming events. The highlight is a fireside chat featuring David A. Steinberg, Co founder, Chairman, and CEO of Zeta Global, alongside renowned technology analyst and Chairman of Eightco, Dan Ives. This high profile pairing sets the stage for a sophisticated discussion on the future of AI powered marketing and the pivotal role of Zeta’s conversational agent, Athena by Zeta.
This strategic presence signals that Zeta Global is keen to frame its core platform, the AI Marketing Cloud, as a central piece of the industry’s ongoing transformation. The company is actively moving the narrative from simple data processing to true conversational intelligence and agentic action, capabilities embodied by Athena. The ability of an AI system to not just analyze but to autonomously execute complex, multi step marketing workflows is the next frontier of enterprise efficiency, promising significant gains in return on investment.
The Prominence of Conversational Intelligence in Marketing
The focal point of the Zeta Global programming is Athena, described as a conversational, superintelligent agent built specifically for enterprise marketing. Athena is designed to act as a personalized digital workspace for marketers, adapting to individual goals and decision patterns. It sits on top of the Zeta Marketing Platform (ZMP), leveraging one of the industry’s largest proprietary databases and identity graphs to unify intelligence and omnichannel activation. This foundation, built from over a decade of data accumulation, positions Athena as a sophisticated tool that can process trillions of consumer signals to deliver hyper targeted, personalized customer experiences.
The core challenge Athena seeks to solve is removing the friction between human marketers and increasingly complex technology stacks. By allowing marketers to interact using natural, voice activated dialogue, Athena acts as an integrated data scientist, strategist, and operator. This allows users to simply state a business objective, such as revenue growth or cost savings, which the Advisor application within Athena then translates into an AI driven plan with clear recommendations and automated workflows. The integration of a Simulator application further allows marketers to forecast and test cross channel strategies before spending capital, representing a fundamental shift toward predictive, highly optimized campaign execution.
A High Profile Dialogue on AI and Trust
The fireside chat, scheduled for Tuesday, January 6th, will provide a strategic lens on these technological developments. David A. Steinberg, a highly accomplished serial entrepreneur who co founded Zeta in 2007 with former Apple CEO John Sculley and successfully led it through a public offering, is set to discuss how Athena is redefining the marketer’s relationship with technology. Steinberg’s background includes a track record of scaling multiple technology companies and establishing Zeta’s foundation on data and AI dating back to 2017.
Joining him is Dan Ives, a prominent Wall Street technology analyst and the recently appointed Chairman of Eightco. Ives’s role at Eightco centers on building the authentication and trust layer for the post AGI world, particularly through the use of Proof of Human verification technologies like Worldcoin. His perspective is rooted in the strategic and investment implications of AI adoption, focusing on how platforms can deliver measurable business outcomes while maintaining trust and integrity. His presence underscores the serious financial and operational implications of AI in marketing, moving the conversation from speculative features to verifiable results. The collaboration between a deep industry operator like Steinberg and a high profile market strategist like Ives is expected to generate significant insights into the trends shaping the next era of marketing technology and the growing necessity of transparent, auditable AI frameworks.
Zeta’s Broader CES Engagement
Beyond the fireside chat, Zeta Global’s presence at CES 2026 includes multiple opportunities to showcase its agentic capabilities. The company will host daily demos and client engagements at its dedicated Athena suite at the ARIA Resort & Casino. Furthermore, Steinberg is scheduled for an interview at the CES C Space, a venue focused on the intersection of media, entertainment, and technology, as well as a speaking session at ADWEEK House. These engagements serve to amplify the message that AI innovation is accelerating faster than anything previously seen in the marketing industry, and that platforms like Athena are positioned at the center of this transformation. The strategic decision to be an official CES sponsor and dedicate programming to this advanced technology confirms the company’s commitment to leading the conversation around the future of enterprise marketing efficiency and customer relationship management. Interested parties can register for the fireside chat and learn more about Zeta’s programming via the company’s dedicated CES site.
