AI continues to be the dominant topic of conversation in marketing circles both online and off. As martech vendors race to position their platforms as the most “AI-powered” or “AI-first,” new data suggests marketers want more substance than hype when it comes to the quickly evolving technology.
What are marketers actually looking for? Real business impact. Findings from Act-On’s most recent exclusive research report tell the story.
AI’s Strategic Potential Exists Far Beyond Content Generation
Here’s the data that stopped us in our tracks: When we asked 100+ marketers which AI capabilities they want most in their automation platforms, their top-ranked priority (71%) was AI recommendations and benchmarks.
In other words: Nearly three-quarters of marketers want strategic help from AI. Meanwhile, less than half (44%) want more AI content generation.
What does this tell us? While content creation may have grabbed the most headlines over the last few years, as marketers have had a chance to use AI tools, their appetite is greatest for more informed decision-making. They want AI to surface insights, highlight patterns, and recommend next steps.
Act-On’s creative director, Matt Sailor, sees this data lining up with trends in AI that he’s observed. “Our early experiments with AI as a marketing team were mostly with content creation and generation,” he said. “As we’ve gotten more sophisticated with the tech, we’ve found far more value in auditing and evaluating content, building frameworks and internal tools, and similar strategic levers.”
AI Should Accelerate and Support, Not Replace
By now, the idea of keeping a “human in the loop” has become a buzzword. But it’s impossible to overstate the importance. Proper AI governance and human oversight is the difference between using the tech as a strategic differentiator, and letting the tail “wag the dog.”
When we asked what marketers want to see automation platforms include in the future, only 13% hoped for “fully AI-driven” capabilities. Instead, the top choices — all tied for first-place at 20% each — were AI insights, complete attribution tracking, and better analytics. The takeaway? Marketers see AI as a tool for making better decisions, not the source of the decisions themselves.
“This has been our contention from the beginning,” explained Nate Meneer, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Act-On. “Marketers have some anxiety about being replaced by AI. At Act-On, we know because we know marketers. We talk to them every day. We’ve always seen AI as a catalyst for human potential, not an alternative to working with people.”
The AI Enthusiasm Gap Is Real
Another fascinating shift from our most recent data: There’s an enthusiasm gap around AI adoption. In fact, that gap could be part of what’s fueling the more sophisticated approach to AI functionality we discussed above.
Enthusiasm for AI among marketers remains measured. Only 22% of marketers say AI is “very important” to their marketing automation platform. The largest group (33%) rated it as only “somewhat important.” That isn’t necessarily surprising, given the viral stat from last year that 95% of AI initiatives at companies fail.
“I think what we’re seeing is that marketers know they’re supposed to care about AI,” says Steve O’Brian, EVP of Marketing at Act-On. “They’re getting pressure from their CEO or the board to use AI, and they don’t want to fall behind competitors. But if the AI features they’re getting don’t actually make their jobs easier or deliver measurable results, that lukewarm enthusiasm is going to disappear fast.”
This enthusiasm gap reflects hard-earned wisdom. Over the last few years, marketers have been burned by overpromised technology: “revolutionary AI features” that turned out to be rebranded versions of things they already had, or impressive demos that couldn’t handle the messy reality of their actual data.
So now they’re asking better questions: Does this AI actually solve a problem I have? Will it make my job easier or just give me more complexity to manage? Can it help me prove ROI, or is it just another shiny object?
What This Means for Your Marketing Stack
AI has to deliver what marketers say they actually need: strategic guidance that brings advanced marketing capabilities within reach of lean teams, decision support that provides insights for better choices, and segmentation intelligence that moves beyond basic demographics to predict the most effective next actions.
Our survey data makes this crystal clear: Marketers want AI to empower them, not replace what makes them most effective in their own roles.
About the survey
We asked over 100 real marketers a range of questions about what they need from marketing automation, covering key topics like AI, team structure and size, and specific functionalities (lead attribution, analytics, journey mapping). The sample included marketers across industries, both Act-On customers and professionals using other marketing automation providers.
Want to see what else 100+ marketers revealed about AI, automation priorities, and the future of marketing technology? Our Marketing Automation and AI Trends Report — including surprising findings about integration priorities, the hidden reporting gaps frustrating marketing teams, and why the “Do More with Less” era is reshaping everything about how we buy and use marketing technology.