The impact of Ai in digital marketing industry
Let’s go back to 30 years when word processors and spreadsheets were first introduced and promising a productivity revolution. The idea was that we had to spend less time writing, calculating, and leaving us with more leisure time. Fast forward to today, and while the promise of technology has materialized, we don’t work less. Instead, we create longer documents, and more elaborate presentations, and handle increasingly complex decision-making due to the explosion of available data.
Now, generative AI is poised to lead the next productivity revolution by embedding itself into organizations. As a marketer, I have seen how Ai impacts marketing as a traditionally creative and right-brained function. Marketing has evolved over the last 15 years to include digital and analytical skills. With generative AI, core marketing activities are transforming rapidly. A study by the Boston Consulting Group and Harvard found that tools like ChatGPT already improve marketers’ creative performance by 40%, and this impact will only grow.
What will marketers do with this extra time? Likely, they’ll create more content and ideas. While this could lead to highly personalized consumer experiences—like tailored emails featuring relevant products and imagery—it also risks content overload. Many consumers already feel overwhelmed by repetitive content online. Since generative AI relies on existing data, it often reduces the diversity of outcomes, potentially leading to homogenized marketing.
To address this, marketing—and any function impacted by AI—needs to build a “left-AI brain” by embedding data-driven expertise. This includes reskilling employees and hiring data scientists and engineers to create predictive tools that enhance decision-making. For example, marketers could use AI to predict sales outcomes, analyze consumer behavior, and refine strategies. I worked with a company that built such tools, enabling marketers to predict outcomes and optimize performance. This required assembling a team of AI-focused professionals and training others to use these tools effectively.
However, relying too much on AI can stifle creativity. Overuse of generative AI reduces the diversity of ideas, which is critical for innovation. Companies must identify their most creative talent—those who challenge norms—and ensure they use AI to enhance, not replace their originality. Protecting these right-brained skills is essential for maintaining strong brand identities.
In this era of AI, marketers must choose their path, refine their creative strengths, or specialize in data-driven skills. Either way, embracing the potential of AI is key to thriving in this new landscape.