Most GenAI marketing tools 'already passed sell-by date'

Another day, another AI warning for marketers, amid claims that professionals are pouring more and more time and money into GenAI tools, yet seeing little in return and it is impacting their bottom line.

That is according to new research from Hootsuite, based on a survey of social media managers (SMMs) and senior marketing leaders across the UK and US.

While it has been well documented that AI adoption is soaring within the marketing and advertising industry, Hootsuite reckons that nearly 80% of SMMs use AI tools up to 20 times a day and 83% of marketing leaders are increasing their AI budgets.

Yet higher use and spend have not translated into stronger results or greater confidence.

At the core of the issue is that most GenAI tools rely on outdated static web data or external sources that are not designed for the real-time, fast-changing pace of social media.

Marketers’ attitudes toward AI have transformed over the past 12 months. A year ago, nearly half (49%) of global SMMs feared AI might make their jobs obsolete. Today, 52% say they couldn’t imagine doing their job without it, and nearly half (42%) report spending up to 24 hours using AI to inform their social strategy.

Leadership echoes this shift: 88% actively encourage their teams to use AI tools, and 87% have a formal AI strategy in place. But while adoption is rising, so are the growing pains.

In an industry where speed is everything, marketers have a false sense of confidence. While 64% of senior marketing leaders believe their teams are using AI tools powered by up-to-the-minute data, only 39% of social media managers agree – revealing a significant disconnect between the AI solutions marketing leaders invest in and trust, and the performance experienced by teams on the ground.

Hootsuite head of marketing Billy Jones said: “Real-time is the new bottom line. Social moves at the speed of culture and marketers need tools that can keep up – but the truth is, most GenAI tools are already out of date the moment marketers use them.

“Traditional AI has its place, but falls short for marketers who operate where their customers do: on social. If they can’t reach their audience with data that reflects what’s happening right now, they can’t drive real impact.”