Q2 2026 AI in Marketing
Survey

Market Research

We surveyed 124 marketing professionals and 93 hiring leaders across Australia to understand how AI is reshaping talent, tools, and expectations when it comes to marketing and growth.

0
Candidate
responses
0
Organisation
responses
At a glance
0%
of candidates use AI regularly
0%
of orgs have no AI policy
0%
frustrated or considering leaving
0%
cite quality / brand as top risk
0%
of orgs say leadership leads by example
0%
name critical evaluation as the #1 skill
0%
expect content roles to evolve most
0%
of orgs track AI with dedicated KPIs
Press arrow keys or click to explore the findings
The Expectation Gap
The Hiring Gap

There's a clear disconnect between what organisations say they communicate about AI during hiring and what candidates actually experience when they start. 35% of candidates say AI wasn't discussed at all, while 46% of orgs believe they at least somewhat mention it.

What candidates found on day one

Wasn't discussed, barely used 35%
Mostly matched expectations 25%
Mentioned, but limited in practice 22%
Pleasantly surprised 14%
AI was misrepresented 5%

What orgs say they communicate

Somewhat mention AI 46%
Communicate AI very clearly 24%
Rarely discuss AI in hiring 19%
Not at all 11%

46% of organisations only somewhat mention AI during hiring - while 35% of candidates say AI wasn't discussed at all and barely exists in the role. Meanwhile 24% of orgs say they communicate AI very clearly, showing signs of an improving conversation.

Michael Johns · Director, Gybe Consulting
With marketing being one of the industries most impacted by AI, candidates are increasingly looking at how an employer will help future proof their career. The expectation isn't deep AI maturity yet, but the organisations winning the war on talent are the ones able to clearly articulate where AI fits within their business, how it's being adopted, and what that means for the future of the role.
MT
Angela Tracey · Chief Marketing Officer ANZ, Loan Market
AI shouldn't be a 'pitch' to candidates, but a conversation we invite them to lead. We can close the expectation gap by not presenting AI as a company asset and instead asking candidates how they will use AI tools to redefine their future role.
Where AI Actually Lives Today
AI Adoption

Organisations consistently report higher AI embedding than candidates experience on the ground. Across all seven disciplines, there's a gap between boardroom strategy and day-to-day practice - with content and copywriting showing the largest disconnect.

Embedded
Experimental
Absent
N/A
Candidate view (124) - org embedded % shown below
Content &
Copywriting
43%
Candidates
64%
Orgs
Paid Media
11%
Candidates
25%
Orgs
SEO
16%
Candidates
27%
Orgs
Email
Marketing
20%
Candidates
23%
Orgs
Analytics &
Reporting
23%
Candidates
29%
Orgs
CRM
16%
Candidates
18%
Orgs
Creative &
Design
26%
Candidates
30%
Orgs
Key insight
Organisations report higher embedding in all 7 disciplines. The biggest gap is Content (43% vs 64%) - suggesting strategic investment hasn't yet filtered down to practitioner experience.
Libby Kidd · Director, Gybe Consulting
AI adoption is strongest in content and copywriting because the benefits are immediately visible. Teams can speed up drafts and ad copy without overhauling existing workflows. What's interesting is the gap between how embedded organisations think AI is versus what candidates are actually experiencing day-to-day, suggesting strategy is outpacing practical rollout. Hiring demand is growing for marketers who can use AI effectively while still applying commercial thinking and sound judgement.
BR
Stephen Hughes · Chief Marketing Officer, R6 Digital
There's a clear gap between what businesses expect and what candidates are actually bringing. AI literacy isn't optional anymore, every marketing discipline is being transformed by it. Candidates need to show they're actively experimenting and understanding where it adds value. And business leaders can't just hire someone to solve AI for them, they need their own vision for how they're going to use it.
Two Sides of the Same Story
Both Perspectives · Part 1

Marketers are moving faster than the organisations around them. This is the candidate view - personal AI usage, employer stance, and the results AI is already delivering on the ground.

Candidates The candidate view
Personal AI usage
88%
Power users 44%
Regular users 44%
Cautious 10%
Minimal 2%
Employer AI stance
44%
Actively encourages 44%
Generally supportive 40%
Silent 10%
Actively discourages 6%
Results AI has delivered
88%
Significant savings 34%
Moderate savings 29%
Better quality 17%
Cost reduction 6%
No result yet 12%
Cass Barker · Director, Gybe Consulting
AI uptake has proven to be one of the fastest uptakes of technology, but adoption is moving faster at a practitioner level than it is organisationally. Marketers have already changed the way they work, while many leadership teams are still trying to catch up on governance, capability and clear direction. That gap is where frustration will start creeping in, with marketers already moving faster than the businesses around them.
PS
Kim Williams · Chief Marketing Officer, kallipr
88% of marketers are already using AI regularly, but only 44% say their employer actively encourages it. That gap tells you everything. Teams are moving faster than leadership, and without proper governance or structured workflows, it stays individual experimentation rather than scaled capability. The cost reduction numbers will only grow as leaders start questioning new headcount when existing teams are delivering more. Marketing teams a year from now will look very different.
Behind the Org Walls
Both Perspectives · Part 2

Part 1 showed candidates are moving fast. This section flips the lens - looking at how prepared organisations actually are to support, govern, and scale all that adoption.

0%
Considering leaving over AI
5% of candidates say the gap between expectation and reality around AI is significant enough to make them consider leaving or looking elsewhere.
0%
Employers silent or discouraging
16% of employers are either silent (10%) or actively discouraging (6%) on AI - giving no guidance, tools, or investment. While lower than expected, this still creates a retention blind spot.
0%
Track AI with dedicated KPIs
14% of organisations have dedicated metrics for AI impact. Most still rely on standard marketing metrics or anecdotal feedback - making it hard to justify further investment or prove ROI.
Organisations The state of org-side AI readiness
65%
65%
leadership leads
by example
28%
28%
have a formal
AI policy
14%
14%
track AI with
dedicated KPIs
13%
13%
have no AI policy
at all
Cass Barker · Director, Gybe Consulting
Few organisations have the frameworks, measurement or governance to properly support or scale AI. Only 28% have a formal policy and just 14% track it with dedicated KPIs, yet marketing is one of the functions where productivity gains are most immediate. When businesses stay silent or discouraging, they don't stop adoption, they just push it underground, creating less visibility and more frustration.
JK
Jo-Anne Hendricks · Marketing Director, CarExpert
Governance is always running to catch up with what people are already doing. The question is how fast it can catch up before fast turns rogue. When leaders go quiet on AI, people either use it in the shadows or stop out of fear. On tracking AI with dedicated KPIs: if you need a single metric to know it's working, you probably aren't using it well enough yet. The real question is what's possible now that wasn't possible a month ago.
What's Changing
The Road Ahead

The industry isn't just looking for people who can operate AI - it wants marketers who can think. Critical evaluation and strategic thinking rank above prompt engineering, signalling a shift in what "AI-ready" actually means.

Roles that will evolve most

Content & Copy
74%
Data & Analytics
50%
Creative & Design
43%
SEO
32%
CRM & Lifecycle
31%
Paid Media
22%

Non-negotiable future skills

Critical evaluation
70%
Strategic thinking
58%
Prompt engineering
54%
AI ethics
24%
Automation
24%
Cross-functional
24%

Hover any bar to see how organisation responses compare. Candidate data shown.

Michael Johns · Director, Gybe Consulting
Content and copy leading the charge makes sense, it's the easiest place to see quick gains. But the more telling data is on the right. Critical evaluation and strategic thinking ranking above prompt engineering shows that people aren't just looking for AI operators, they want marketers who can think. Candidates who bring that strategic lens will drive their own demand regardless of how the tools keep changing.
HR
Helen McEnery · Head of B2B Marketing, Virgin Australia
AI isn't just changing how marketers work, it's redefining what the industry requires. Scale and personalisation are now table stakes. What actually differentiates a marketer is strategic thinking, creativity and human judgement. The modern marketer isn't a content creator, they're an orchestrator of AI and brand, making sure every interaction stays authentic and commercially grounded.
What Keeps Both Groups Up at Night
Risks & Takeaways

Candidates and organisations largely agree on where the danger lies - but diverge on how much it matters. The biggest perception gap sits around data accuracy and hallucinations, where front-line marketers feel the risk most.

Quality or
brand risk
35%
Candidates
43%
Orgs
Loss of strategic
thinking
31%
Candidates
32%
Orgs
Data accuracy &
hallucinations
22%
Candidates
12%
Orgs
Compliance &
legal risk
8%
Candidates
6%
Orgs
Where they agree
2 of 4
Both groups rank Quality / brand risk and Strategic thinking loss as their top two concerns - an unusual level of consensus across hiring sides.
Where they diverge
+10pts
Candidates worry about hallucinations at 22% vs orgs at 12% - the largest perception gap. Front-line marketers feel the accuracy risk more acutely than leaders.
The unconcerned
2%
Just 2% of orgs say they see no major AI risks at all. The era of AI optimism without caveats is over - even the most bullish leaders are factoring in risk.
Libby Kidd · Director, Gybe Consulting
From a recruitment perspective, the biggest gap is around data accuracy and trust in AI outputs. Candidates work closely with reporting and insights every day, so they see the flaws and inaccuracies firsthand. Leaders are often more focused on the bigger picture across efficiency, productivity and growth, which is why their view of AI adoption is usually more positive.
DF
Stephen Gook · Head of Marketing, Teachers Health
Businesses recognise there are risks to using AI. Making the most of AI will mean accepting those risks, then managing them with the right human skills and interventions. It's not an excuse to ignore AI though.
What AI Predicts vs What the Data Shows
AI Analysis · Part 1

Everyone has an opinion on where AI in marketing is headed - including AI itself. We put the generic predictions side by side with what Australian marketers actually told us, then layered in what we're seeing on the ground in the briefs we work on every day.

smart_toy
Generic AI take - what ChatGPT tells anyone.
monitoring
What the data shows - 217 real responses.
Gybe
Gybe's take - what we're seeing in the market.
01
Will AI skills become a hiring requirement?
AI skills will be essential for all marketing roles by 2027. Companies that don't prioritise AI literacy in hiring will fall behind competitors.
Only 9% of orgs explicitly require AI skills when hiring, yet 88% of candidates already use AI regularly. With 44% of employers actively encouraging AI, the dynamic is flipping: candidates will start screening employers on AI maturity.
AI is becoming an underlying expectation in marketing roles. The differentiator will be how effectively candidates use tools like ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot in strategy, automation and execution, alongside their adaptability to learn and apply emerging technologies quickly.
02
Will AI strategy become a retention issue?
Companies with clear AI roadmaps will attract and retain top talent. Employer branding around AI adoption will become a competitive advantage.
Already happening - 5% of candidates are considering leaving over AI gaps. Only 16% of employers are silent or discouraging (lower than expected). The real risk is the quality of engagement, not its absence.
AI strategy is likely to become a retention issue as candidates seek employers that support skill development in new ways of working. Businesses without a clear AI focus may struggle to retain talent to companies further ahead in adoption and capability.
What AI Predicts vs What the Data Shows
AI Analysis · Part 2

Where the real surprises sit - from how content roles are evolving rather than disappearing, to why CRM may be the most underestimated AI opportunity in marketing.

03
Will content roles be replaced by AI?
AI will automate most content creation tasks. Content marketers will need to upskill or risk becoming obsolete as AI generates copy at scale.
Content has 43% embedded AI adoption among candidates (64% for orgs), yet 74% of candidates expect the role to evolve - not disappear. Content roles are splitting: AI-assisted production on one side, strategic brand voice on the other.
AI is unlikely to replace content roles entirely, but the roles will evolve. The focus will shift toward editorial oversight, AI content specialisation, prompting and strategy, with growing demand for content that feels authentic, brand-aligned and not obviously AI-generated.
04
Where is the biggest AI opportunity in marketing?
Data analytics and personalisation represent the biggest opportunity. AI-driven insights will transform how marketers understand and target audiences.
Partially right. 35% of candidates say CRM AI is absent - still significant whitespace. Yet CRM sits on the richest first-party data, and orgs are starting to experiment (51% experimental). As third-party data erodes, AI-powered CRM may become the most valuable discipline.
CRM feels like the sleeping giant of AI adoption. The richest first-party customer data already sits there, yet only a small number of organisations are embedding AI into CRM and lifecycle marketing. The strongest demand is likely to emerge around marketers who can combine CRM capability with AI fluency and customer strategy.
What AI Predicts vs What the Data Shows
AI Analysis · Part 3

The final - and arguably most important - question. What separates the marketers who'll thrive from those who won't? The answer challenges one of AI's most popular predictions.

05
What skills will matter most in an AI world?
Prompt engineering and AI tool fluency will be the most in-demand skills. Marketers who master AI tools will have a significant advantage.
The data disagrees. Critical evaluation leads at 70% of candidates and 67% of orgs - both sides want the ability to evaluate AI output above all else. Strategic thinking follows at 58% / 65%. Prompt engineering only ranks at 54%. The market wants strategic humans, not AI operators.
As AI adoption grows, the most valuable skills will be critical thinking, judgment and strategic application. AI tools can be taught, but the ability to think commercially, evaluate quality and apply experience-driven decision-making will continue to differentiate high-performing marketers.
The headline
4 of 5
Of the five questions we asked AI, 4 predictions got the headline right but missed the nuance. The shape of change is broadly correct - but the implications, sequence and human factors require ground-truth data.
Our position
Hire humans
AI is reshaping the work, but the marketers worth hiring in 2026-27 are the ones who can think critically, set strategic direction, and translate first-party data into action. That's where we focus every search we run.

Generic AI predictions sourced from standard ChatGPT output. Data from 217 survey responses collected 15 April - 4 May 2026.

Gybe Consulting
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