AI Business

AI is Transforming the Marketing Landscape – Here are the human skills that will matter most in the years ahead

Written by David Watt – CEO of CI Group 

As all of us in the industry are seeing, artificial intelligence is transforming the marketing landscape at an unprecedented pace. The technology no longer just being used to automate tasks; it is amplifying strategic decision-making and shaping new models of brand engagement. Yet, despite this shift, recent ONS data shows up to 70% of marketing leaders feel insufficiently prepared for the implications of rapid AI adoption across their teams. What, then, does it mean to become ‘AI-ready’? 

While there’s no shortage of opinion on what the future holds, it is my belief that it is impossible for tomorrow’s marketing professionals to be replaced by AI. Simply, because the value of the technology hinges directly on our capability of using it effectively, and ensuring a human lens is applied wherever it is used. Here are the key skills that will matter most in the years ahead as AI adoption rapidly increases throughout our industry. 

 

Judgement and rigour 

Generative AI can surface patterns, predict outcomes, and easily create a deluge of content and data – but it does not have context or values, and quantity is rarely quality. According to Garter’s 2024 Digital Marketing Survey, 59% of UK marketers reported at least one serious negative outcome from uncritical AI use in campaign execution. It is increasingly vital to interrogate the results AI delivers, and resist blind automation. Those who apply sound judgement, and balance data-driven insight with commercial awareness, will outperform those who do not.  

 

Ethical awareness 

Navigating things like algorithm bias, and more serious matters such as consumer privacy, means that competence is emerging as a core business asset – not just a compliance requirement. As AI-driven personalisation gets more granular, the industry holds a responsibility to both define and enforce ethical boundaries. Successful protection of both your brand and audience will belong to those who can question not just what is possible, but what is responsible – especially as regulators sharpen their focus. 

 

Human communication 

AI can mimic tone, but not trust. As outputs become more automated, authentic communication becomes a strategic differentiator: the ability to unite teams, brief stakeholders, challenge ideas, storytelling and negotiating. In a 2023 Deloitte study, over 60% of CMOs cited increased internal friction around AI projects, driven mainly by poor communication. These soft skills are now organisational catalysts.  

 

Learning agility 

Specialisms in digital marketing now shift faster than ever – the PWC estimates every 12-18 months. The shelf life of any technical skill continues to contract, and the most valuable leaders will build cultures of curiosity – encouraging teams to stay curious, experiment safely with new tools, and share results. Adaptability will be your biggest strength. 

 

Partnership with AI 

It’s essential that marketers get comfortable co-creating with AI – whether this looks like shaping its outputs to fit brand standards, surfacing insights, or creating audience segments. Think of AI as not a replacement, but a teammate – one that’s fast, sometimes clunky, yet accelerating if managed wisely. Your job is to steer, sense-check and shape.  

 

Strategic clarity 

The strategic marketer will not be replaced by AI; they will wield it as a lever. The marketers of the future will be those who can join the dots between audience needs, brand purpose, commercial aims and ethical lines – all of which demand human foresight. AI informs, and then people decide.  

 

It may sound like a juxtaposition – but it is clear to me that the AI-ready marketer is not less human, but more so. As AI adoption surges across the industry, it remains more imperative than ever that these distinctly human capabilities are possessed by every team using the technology. This is just as much as much about avoiding the risks of misuse as it is about unlocking opportunity – from preventing communications that feel robotic and alienating audiences, to guarding against more serious breaches of trust like mishandling personal data. The teams that can harness AI whilst avoiding these pitfalls will be the ones who not only build lasting trust between brands and their audiences, but gain a genuine competitive advantage.  

Let’s Talk –marketing@cigroup.co.uk