How do marketers really use AI?

Insights from the NAWA-DIGIT report “AI in Marketing: Opportunities and Risks from a Practitioner’s Perspective”

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic promise in marketing – it is becoming an integral part of how teams analyze data, create campaigns, and make strategic decisions.
But how do marketing professionals really perceive this transformation?

In the NAWA DIGIT report, AI in Marketing: Opportunities and Risks from a Practitioner’s Perspective (September 2025), researchers from the Poznań University of Economics and Business explored how 178 marketing managers from the US and UK assess the practical value, challenges, and ethical aspects of using AI at work.

Here’s what they found:

• Optimism dominates. Most marketers see AI as a tool that enhances their efficiency, creativity, and decision-making. Those who use AI daily report the highest productivity gains.
• Experience matters. Frequent users find AI easier to use and less intimidating. Occasional users are more cautious—not because of fear, but because of limited hands-on experience.
• New competencies emerge. The ability to collaborate with AI tools, interpret data, and critically assess algorithmic outputs becomes essential in both B2B and B2C marketing.
• Ethical awareness remains a challenge. While enthusiasm for AI is high, there is a risk of “efficiency myopia”— celebrating speed without reflecting on creativity, fairness, or brand trust.
• Organizations must learn together. Early adopters can accelerate digital transformation, but without shared learning structures, AI know-how risks becoming an isolated competence.

The report highlights a key message:

The future of marketing belongs to those who can connect efficiency with ethics, technology with creativity, and human intuition with algorithmic intelligence.

If you want to understand how marketing teams are navigating AI transformation, read the full report here:
📄https://ue.poznan.pl/pobierz/eFlJVV1cUV9WWnoJFgMIDgcBAwg/

This post is part of the project “People and Algorithms in Organisations: Competences to Work in the Digital Environment” (DIGIT_People and algorithms), funded by the NAWA – Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej (Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange).