Generative AI and the marketer

The data’s clear: Marketers are using AI for tasks that often require a specialist’s help—but it’s not the flashy, visual use cases that bring them the most relief. It’s getting to a decent piece of content, a useful idea, or a clear conclusion faster.

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Needless to say, marketers are eager for what AI can help them with next. When asked how they feel about using AI, most marketers report optimism, excitement, or neither (they’re neutral). Only a small percentage (13%) report negative emotions, specifically skepticism or anxiety.

Another signal of AI’s value: pride. Does saving time on repetitive work make marketers happy? Yes. But does AI make their work better?

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For many, the answer is also yes. 40% of marketers say using AI increases pride in their work, and 31% say their pride levels are the same as if they didn’t use AI.

To marketers, AI isn’t controversial. It’s a source of relief in a frequently under-resourced profession. It increases access and makes the specialized, resource-heavy work of content creation more manageable.


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But what’s next?


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As AI models continue to improve—and fast—it’s likely marketer satisfaction with AI will also increase. The question is: Will their audience (the consumer) feel the same?

‍^{AI AND TRUST} It’s easy to assume from online discourse that brands should avoid using AI or risk alienating their customer. But there’s a crucial nuance: AI slop.


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Consumers don’t like slop—low-quality, mass-produced digital content generated by AI. But our data doesn’t support the broader “AI harms brands” narrative.


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Instead, it suggests that consumers don’t want to be misled by any marketing, including marketing made by AI. The majority want AI disclosure, but notably, only 21% of consumers say they’d trust a brand less because of AI.

Understanding AI’s effect on brand trust is complicated. Marketers’ excitement over AI makes it easy to forget to slow down and ground decision-making in the consumer’s point of view.

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But the consumer’s mind is still being made up on whether AI is harmful or just the latest excuse for sloppy marketing.

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Nearly half of marketers use AI, don’t disclose it, and don’t regret it. Luckily for marketers, the majority of consumers judge marketing based on quality—not AI’s presence in it.

So be thoughtful, not fearful, the next time you prompt. AI can be part of consumer-facing content without harming brand trust when you prioritize quality, consider context, and stay true to your brand.


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For your brand (and your customer), that might mean avoiding AI, disclosing AI, or understanding when one or both is important.


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But done right, AI can elevate your brand by helping you create more relevant experiences, ask better questions, and make your work feel more human.

As AI becomes more widespread and indistinguishable from human output, it becomes harder to imagine a future where AI use is something we want to avoid—or even can.


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Even a year from now, will marketers choose to avoid AI? Will they feel the need to disclose? And how will the value we place on marketers themselves be affected?

^{AI AND JOB SECURITY} AI is disrupting the workforce, and marketers feel threatened. One-third of marketers report losing their jobs to AI or knowing someone who has, while the majority feel some degree of worry over job security.


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But marketers are also hopeful. They see a clear division of labor taking shape. AI automates the tedious, while human minds bring the creativity, context, and critical thinking required for stand-out marketing.

Marketers recognize their own potential and AI’s present limits. Yes, AI can produce valuable content, but it can’t consistently replicate human quality or creativity.


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In other words, AI’s ability to turn input into output isn’t the same as years of marketing expertise, even as AI’s presence and our confidence in it grows.

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Take copywriting. It’s the top AI use case. It makes sense marketers across the board believe copywriters are the most at risk of losing their jobs. But the copy experts themselves feel more secure: Only 40% of copywriters believe their role is at risk.

Despite AI’s ability to empower marketers, it’s not all-powerful yet. It still leaves gaps marketers have to fill with knowledge born from experience and expertise. Especially when it comes to writing.


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Almost all marketers also report that they edit AI copy to make it sound more human. No matter how much value AI adds, marketers know the best copy is a little more distinct, and often, more imperfect.

It’s the gap between what AI creates and what humans define as good writing (and by extension, good marketing) that gives marketers optimism regarding their roles.


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However, marketers’ optimism doesn’t mean never changing or improving to remain relevant. Nearly two-thirds of marketers say they’re looking to stay in the field and adapt by re-skilling, especially those in design and customer relationship management (CRM) roles.

AI is more than a tool now. It’s a workplace partner. And like any partner, AI can be a multiplying force for productivity and positivity.


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But that also means it introduces new ways of working and process gaps marketers can’t lose sight of as they rush to take advantage of every new AI capability.


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As long as marketers continue to adapt to AI, acknowledge its imperfections, and advocate for distinct, creative marketing, the future with AI looks bright.

^APPENDIX Take a peek behind the curtain: who we surveyed, how we did it, and the intriguing stats that deserve a special shoutout here.

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This report? It came from a Typeform survey designed to answer what marketers think about AI, how they use it, and how they talk about it.

Marketers had a lot to say about how AI shows up in their day-to-day work—what helps, what frustrates them, and what still feels uncertain.

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These extra insights didn’t fit neatly into the main chapters, but they add helpful context about how marketing teams are using (and questioning) AI right now.