RTL Group’s adtech subsidiary launches agentic AI embedded directly into its SSP.
Smartclip has released its first portfolio of AI agents for client testing, marking the next phase of its ‘Sidekicks’ agentic AI platform.
The announcement sees the RTL Group adtech business integrating natural-language-driven agents directly into smartx, its proprietary supply-side platform (SSP) and adserver.
The move follows the public unveiling of the Sidekicks vision in July and the development of a dedicated AI infrastructure by RTL Deutschland. That infrastructure was designed to underpin all Sidekicks applications, ensuring data integrity and operational safety—a critical requirement for broadcasters and premium publishers navigating the AI landscape.
While much of the adtech industry has focused on generative AI for creative production, Smartclip’s strategy focuses on ‘agentic AI’—systems capable of executing complex workflows and autonomous decision-making.
Thomas Servatius, co-CEO at Smartclip and creator of Sidekicks, described the rollout as a shift from infrastructure to application.
“We are moving quickly, but deliberately,” Servatius said. “In just a few months, Sidekicks has gone from vision to infrastructure to real, usable agents that enhance the daily work of media professionals. By making this first portfolio available for client testing, we’re ensuring that our AI evolution is shaped together with the people who will use it.”
Gloria Eichler, chief product officer at Smartclip, noted that the integration into the smartx platform was key to the strategy, rather than treating AI as a standalone tool.
“Our first portfolio of Sidekicks-developed AI agents is designed to deliver measurable efficiency gains to our clients,” Eichler said. “By integrating them directly into smartx, we’re embedding intelligence where it’s needed most — in the actual flow of work.”
Eichler added that these initial agents mark only the “starting point” of a broader shift toward AI-driven automation within the company’s technology stack.
