Mónica Fernández explores how AI is turning digital signage into an intelligent and automated infrastructure.

While much of the industry conversation revolves around screens, immersive experiences or AI-generated content, nsign is focusing on another, less visible issue: the operational complexity behind digital signage networks.

In this interview, Mónica Fernández, Managing Director of nsign, explains how the industry’s technological priorities are shifting and why the ability to orchestrate data, automation and systems will become more important than adding new layers of visual spectacle.

The industry constantly talks about AI, retail media and personalization. Which technologies do you believe will generate sustainable business opportunities in digital signage over the next three years, and which do you still consider overrated?

AI and Retail Media are real opportunities, but only when they are connected to operational value and measurable business outcomes.

The industry is still too focused on AI as a content generation tool. In reality, the biggest transformation will come when AI becomes the operational layer behind digital signage networks: orchestrating content, automating workflows, optimizing campaigns, managing infrastructures, interpreting data and, eventually, operating networks through intelligent agents.

Retail Media also represents a major shift because it transforms the economics of digital signage. Screens stop being communication assets only and become monetizable infrastructures. That completely changes the investment logic for retailers and brands.

What I still consider overrated is the obsession with isolated “wow-effect” technologies that look impressive in demonstrations but are difficult to scale operationally across large networks. Immersive experiences only become sustainable businesses when they are easy to deploy, automate, govern and measure.

Over the next few years, the real winners will not be the companies with the most spectacular demos, but those capable of industrializing complexity.

The digital signage market is entering a phase of consolidation and increasing competitive pressure. How is your company’s strategy evolving to differentiate beyond hardware or CMS platforms?

The industry still talks about CMS platforms as if the challenge were publishing content. It is not. The real challenge today is orchestrating increasingly complex digital ecosystems — content, devices, data, analytics, automation, monetization, integrations and AI — while maintaining operational simplicity for customers.

At nsign, we no longer see ourselves as a traditional CMS provider. We are evolving into an intelligent operational platform for digital experiences in physical spaces.

Our focus is not on adding endless features, but on reducing fragmentation and operational friction. Customers are tired of disconnected systems, isolated tools and complex integrations. They need unified environments capable of managing communication, infrastructure and monetization from a single operational layer. That is also why we are investing in data architecture, AI orchestration, cybersecurity and open integrations. The platform of the future will not be a CMS. It will be the operating system of the physical digital environment.

The industry increasingly demands integration between AV, IT, data and analytics. Do you believe the integration channel is prepared for this new environment, or is there still a significant technological gap?

There is still a significant gap, although the market is evolving rapidly.

Historically, many integrators were excellent at deploying hardware infrastructures, but digital signage projects are increasingly becoming enterprise software and data projects. Today, understanding APIs, cybersecurity, cloud architecture, analytics, AI workflows and operational scalability is as important as understanding displays or media players.

The good news is that the channel is maturing. The most advanced integrators are evolving from simple installers into long-term technology and operations partners.

In my opinion, the integrator of the future will manage intelligent ecosystems, not just audiovisual projects. This evolution is critical because the next generation of digital signage will require continuous orchestration between AV, IT, AI, business data and monetization systems.

Sustainability is no longer limited to energy consumption. How is it influencing your decisions regarding product design, manufacturing, maintenance and installation lifecycle?

Sustainability is increasingly influencing architectural decisions, not just hardware-related ones.

Of course, energy efficiency remains important, but today sustainability also means extending hardware lifespan, minimizing unnecessary replacements, reducing operational visits, optimizing remote maintenance and simplifying infrastructures.

For example, software-defined infrastructures, embedded platforms, remote device management, predictive maintenance and centralized operations contribute to sustainability while also improving operational efficiency.

I also believe the industry is moving toward a model where intelligence compensates for physical complexity. The more capable the software layer becomes, the less hardware intervention will be required over time.

Ultimately, the most sustainable infrastructure is the one that remains operational, adaptable and economically viable for many years.

End users increasingly demand more immersive and dynamic experiences while also expecting operational simplicity. How do you balance creativity, automation and ease of management in today’s digital signage projects?

This is probably the industry’s central challenge today. Customers want richer and more dynamic experiences, but they also need operational simplicity. If the operational cost of managing a network becomes too high, even the most creative project eventually fails.

Our philosophy is that automation should empower creativity, not replace it. AI, intelligent workflows, centralized orchestration, reusable components, integrations and rule-based automation allow teams to execute highly sophisticated experiences without multiplying operational complexity.

In fact, I believe the future of digital signage is not based on manual operations, but on intent-driven operations. Users will progressively move from “managing screens” to interacting with intelligent systems capable of executing complex tasks automatically.

The best technology is the one that makes complexity invisible.

Retail media and DOOH are increasingly converging with traditional digital signage. What real opportunities do you see emerging from this convergence, and what role will manufacturers and technology platforms play?

This convergence will redefine the economics of the industry.

Traditionally, digital signage networks were justified through communication value. Retail Media introduces direct monetization, transforming screens into revenue-generating infrastructures.

The interesting aspect is that the same physical network can simultaneously support operational communication, customer experience, branding and advertising monetization. This creates enormous opportunities for retailers because they already own the most valuable asset: the physical audience at the point of decision.

Technology platforms will play a fundamental role because this ecosystem depends entirely on interoperability: SSP integrations, campaign orchestration, audience analytics, proof-of-play validation, AI-driven optimization, contextual triggers and data governance.

Manufacturers will also evolve. Hardware will progressively become commoditized, so differentiation will increasingly come from ecosystem integration, operational intelligence and software-enabled services. The real value will sit in the orchestration layer.

If you had to imagine what a truly competitive digital signage platform will look like in 2030, which capabilities do you believe should already be priorities today?

By 2030, the most competitive platforms will no longer behave like traditional software tools. They will function as intelligent operating systems.

Several capabilities are already essential today:

• AI-driven orchestration and automation
• Unified management of content, devices, data and monetization
• Agent-based interaction models
• Open API and integration ecosystems
• Hardware independence
• Real-time analytics and contextual decision-making
• Retail Media readiness
• Advanced cybersecurity and governance
• Predictive maintenance and autonomous operations
• Extreme scalability with operational simplicity

But perhaps the most important capability is something much simpler: reducing complexity.

The industry keeps adding technological layers — AI, data, monetization, automation and analytics — but customers do not want more complexity. They want systems capable of making sophisticated infrastructures feel simple to operate. That is where the next generation of market leaders will emerge.