Tech

Sprout Social Expands AI Engine Into Platform-Wide Intelligence Layer

Published on May 13, 2026

Sprout Social has announced the expansion of Trellis, its proprietary AI engine, into a platform-wide intelligence layer spanning Publishing, Listening, the Smart Inbox, and Reporting. The Chicago-based social media management company, which serves approximately 30,000 brands, plans to make the updated system available to all customers in July.

Originally launched as an AI agent within Sprout’s Listening product, Trellis will transition into what the company describes as a conversational intelligence layer for its full platform. The system synthesizes social data across networks and combines it with insights from across Sprout, enabling teams to ask complex questions and surface actionable results.

“AI is only as powerful as the data that informs it,” said Srinivas Somayajula, Chief Product Officer at Sprout Social. “Unlike general-purpose models, Trellis is uniquely valuable because of its access to real-time, native social data across multiple networks.”

Sprout’s “2026 Social Intelligence Report,” released alongside the announcement, found that 71% of business leaders expect social data to surpass traditional market research in shaping enterprise strategy by 2029.

“Social is the fastest reflection of what people are thinking and feeling, yet most organizations lack the infrastructure to act on that data in real time,” said Scott Morris, CMO of Sprout Social. “When organizations can do that, social moves from a downstream function to the heart of how a business anticipates change and drives growth.”

Trellis Studio and Customizable Workflows

The rollout introduces Trellis Studio, a dedicated environment where organizations can build custom AI workflows aligned to their specific KPIs and operational needs. The feature targets recurring workflows and is designed to help teams operationalize social intelligence without requiring step-by-step human direction.

Sprout frames the platform around four areas: predictive media intelligence, full-funnel social optimization, scalable social support, and brand amplification through creator and advocate identification.

The Trellis expansion follows a series of product updates at Sprout Social, including a September 2025 Canva integration and the February 2025 rebrand of its Influencer Marketing platform, formerly Tagger Media, to Sprout Social Influencer Marketing. Sprout acquired Tagger Media in 2023.