New collaboration includes live workshops, in-person conference programming, and an e-learning curriculum for ANA members.
August 31, 2026 — U of Digital today announced that it has been selected as one of several key partners by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) to develop and deliver a growing portfolio of artificial intelligence education for ANA members.
The collaboration includes a range of AI learning events in September 2026:
- SEP 17: ANA Global Day of Learning (virtual) — get hands-on creating synthetic audiences
- SEP 23: ANA AI Marketing Accelerator (live in Washington, DC) — join U of Digital for an in-person half-day AI bootcamp
- SEP 30: ANA AI Marketing Accelerator (virtual) — U of Digital’s recurring monthly half-day AI bootcamp for ANA members
- A new on-demand e-learning curriculum (coming soon!)
Everything is designed to help marketers and ANA Members understand how AI is reshaping consumer behavior, marketing strategy, media, creativity, and the day-to-day practice of marketing.
“The ANA is committed to inspiring, educating, and enabling marketers to lead confidently in an AI-powered world. Our collaboration with U of Digital will give members the practical knowledge and skills they need to turn AI’s potential into responsible action and measurable business growth.”
Michael Donnelly, Executive Vice President, AI, MarTech, and Marketing Futures at the ANA
The ANA selected U of Digital based on its specialization in practical, vendor-neutral education for marketers. Unlike software vendors whose training naturally centers on their own products and priorities, U of Digital focuses on helping marketing organizations build a broad understanding of AI and develop capabilities that remain valuable regardless of which technologies ultimately succeed.
Your marketing team can get hands-on with AI in half-day virtual workshops take place monthly. Find the next ANA AI Marketing Accelerator session.
“We’re seeing marketing organizations move beyond asking, ‘Which AI tools should we buy?’ to asking, ‘How do we help our people adapt to a fundamentally different industry?’ That’s a different challenge entirely. It requires education that is practical, engaging, and grounded in how marketers actually work. We’re excited to bring that approach to ANA members.”
Shiv Gupta, CEO and founder, U of Digital
The first phase of the collaboration kicked off in the summer of 2026 and it includes:
- Monthly virtual workshops for ANA members (find the next one on the ANA website)
- An interactive in-person workshop at the upcoming ANA AI & Technology for Marketers Conference on September 23, 2026
- An e-learning series that helps marketers understand both the technology itself and the profound changes AI is driving across the marketing landscape.
U of Digital expects to continue collaborating with the ANA on additional educational initiatives as marketers’ learning needs evolve.
As AI adoption accelerates across the industry, organizations are increasingly recognizing that successful implementation depends not only on technology investments, but also on building AI fluency throughout their marketing teams. U of Digital has focused exclusively on this challenge, delivering AI education to marketers across Fortune 500 brands, agencies, media companies, technology providers, and industry organizations.
The ANA engagement reflects U of Digital’s continued focus on serving organizations that are investing in long-term AI capability development for marketers.