Marketing leaders expect AI-driven automation of marketing work to more than double, from 16% in 2026 to 36% by 2028, with those who fail to adapt at risk of blending into a “sea of sameness”.
So says a new Gartner survey, which revealed that CMOs expect AI-driven automation to rapidly increase over the next 18 months to 24 months, while a separate Gartner study predicts that worldwide spending on AI will reach $2.59 trillion in 2026, a 47% increase year-on-year.
CMOs who fail to move beyond early AI use cases risk getting stuck in costly “AI competency traps”, while a small but growing group of “market‑shaper” CMOs are using AI to drive enterprise growth, customer confidence, and competitive differentiation.
Gartner Marketing Practice VP analyst Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone said: “AI experimentation has become table stakes for CMOs. What’s emerging now is a widening gap between CMOs who are still testing use cases, and those who are confident enough to use AI to create real brand differentiation.
“Those who fail to make that shift risk blending into a sea of sameness, while competitors use AI to shape markets, not just execute campaigns.”
With this in mind, Gartner has drawn up a three‑stage AI maturity model for marketing:
AI Curious: Marketers pilot tools focused on productivity gains and efficiency.
AI Competent: Teams scale multiple use cases, but risk conformity, diminishing returns and growing costs.
AI Confident: CMOs integrate human connection and judgment with AI to reshape operating models, customer engagement and enterprise decision‑making.
Gartner Marketing Practice VP analyst Jay Wilson said: “Most CMOs are currently stalled in at least one AI competency trap, where their early AI success limits their future progress.
“CMOs reach a point where further investment simply doesn’t deliver the return they’re expecting. This inflection point is particularly dangerous in marketing’s AI journey, because leadership’s expectations are so high.”
Gartner reckons there are three AI accelerators that CMOs can leverage to escape the AI competency trap and reach AI confidence.
Boost customer confidence in the brand and themselves: AI can significantly enhance customer engagement, but many organisations fall into the trap of using it to push too many digital, AI‑mediated interactions that don’t align with customer preferences. The CMOs who move ahead use AI to build customer confidence, creating tools and experiences that help customers make better decisions.
Boost marketing teams’ confidence in their abilities: Some 80% of CMOs say staff fear and anxiety is a barrier to AI experimentation. CMOs must clarify where AI supports judgement, and where humans remain accountable and establish a clear “skills floor” for every role.
Market‑leading CMOs pair this with investments in human capabilities, such as strategic thinking and business acumen, so teams feel confident, valued and able to collaborate effectively with AI.
Boost C-Suite confidence in the CMO role: CMOs who surge ahead use AI to strengthen their market‑shaper capabilities. Ultimately, AI enables CMOs to lead with sharper judgement, scenario planning, and customer‑centric insight, elevating their influence in the boardroom and across the enterprise.
LaRocca‑Cerrone concluded: “The CMOs who win won’t just manage AI. They will integrate it into how marketing leads the enterprise. That’s how marketing becomes a value engine, not just a delivery function, in the age of AI.”
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