According to a survey on the state of marketing AI in marketing conducted by the Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising Association (ADMA), 75% of marketers use AI weekly, while only 29% are formal training.
The report, “AI, Talent & Trust: A New Blueprint for Marketing Leadership,” is based on ADMA's AI responses by 1,000 marketers, and shows potential skill imbalances that risk erode long-term progress.
“The future is not here. It's already here. AI is no longer curious. It's already in workflows, campaigns, customer conversations,” says Andrea Martens, CEO of Adma.
“However, AI can be generated at scale, but you can't imagine, empathize, or judge. That's why this report goes beyond technology. It's about people, creativity, and trust. By providing a clear framework and ethical guardrail, we want to ensure that marketers can lead confidently and unlock the full potential of an AI-powered future.”
The report found that marketers primarily use AI to support their work, rather than automate, with applications that span content creation, idea generation and brand tone sophistication. Over 70% of respondents remain optimistic about the long-term impact on AI effectiveness, but there are still major concerns about content oversaturation, originality and data privacy.
Among the key recommendations in the report is the creation and support of “X-shaped” experts. This is the importance of embedding a culture of experiments by testing people with a wide range of skills beyond the creativity, strategy and data of their specialties – sandbox, team “AI Champions”, peer-to-peer learning.
One of the biggest hurdles for marketers is the issue of trust around AI. Only 36% of Australians say they trust AI, and ADMA encourages marketers to lead in incorporating fairness, accountability, transparency and ethics into their workflows.
This report is one of ADMA's new National Workforce Intelligence Partnership Work Workforce Intelligence Provider Reejig. This is a project that maps in real time how AI is restructuring roles, tasks and skills.
The broader agenda includes ADMA's competency compass, an assessment tool focused on ADMA's unique future, tracking how marketing skills are evolving. Workforce information through partnership with Reejig. ADMA Regulation and Advocacy Leadership.
The report was published on ADMA's Global Forum Day in Sydney and was written by AI practitioners Lisa Talia Moretti and Daniel Bluzer-Fry.
This includes insights from industry leaders such as Futurist Tom Goodwin, Deloitte partner David Phillips, Sonny Sethi, senior director of marketing research at ZIP Co, Archie CEO Steve Brennen, and ADMA regulatory expert Peter Leonard.
