2026 AI Marketing
Industry Report
How marketers are using AI to grow their businesses
Letter from the author
Hello, fellow marketer!
Welcome to our third annual AI Marketing Industry Report! When we started this study, most marketers were still deciding whether AI belonged in their work. That question has been answered—emphatically—and this year's data shows an industry moving from experimentation to full integration.
This report contains easy-to-digest insights into how marketers are currently using AI and their future plans. If you're in charge of marketing your business, you'll want to closely examine the charts on the following pages. I'll reveal the “not-so-obvious” findings in this data-rich content.
The report covers the AI platforms marketers rely on, the content they're creating, the rise of AI agents, the benefits and returns they're seeing, their concerns, and much more.
Your fellow marketers provided the kinds of insights you won't find elsewhere. For the first time, we're also drawing on three years of survey data to track how adoption, platforms, concerns, and content creation have shifted since 2024—and some of the trends are stunning.
I hope you enjoy it! If you find value in this report, please let your peers know about it.
All my best!
Michael A. Stelzner
Founder, Social Media Examiner · Host, AI Explored podcast
Major findings
This report draws on three years of survey data to track how AI adoption, platform preferences, concerns, and content creation have shifted since 2024. The trends are unmistakable—and in several cases, surprising. Here's a quick summary of some of our more interesting findings:
- The platform race has been reshuffled: Claude tripled its user base (18% → 65%) and overtook ChatGPT as marketers' most important platform—a dramatic reversal from 2024, when ChatGPT led 68% to 5%. ChatGPT remains the most widely used (81%), but its peak-and-slide from 90% signals a maturing, multi-platform market.
- Daily AI use nearly doubled in two years: 73% of marketers now use AI every day, up from 37% in 2024. Those who rarely or never use it fell from 23% to 7%. And the growth isn't over: 78% expect their usage to increase over the next 12 months.
- The agentic wave is coming: Only 11% of marketers have autonomous AI agents in their regular workflow, and another 24% are experimenting. But 44% plan to adopt them, and “using AI agents” is the #1 AI topic marketers want to learn about (74%). Expect agents to be the story of 2027.
- The AI video divide: 95% of marketers create or enhance written content with AI, but only 37% use AI for video. Meanwhile, video is the content type marketers most want to learn (74%)—a 37-point gap between demand and adoption, the largest of any content type.
- AI content has broken out of the text box: Image creation nearly doubled (39% → 67%) and video climbed from 25% to 37% since 2024.
- Conviction outruns measurement: 86% of marketers agree AI saves them time and 86% say it increases their productivity. Yet only 30% report significant, measurable results—39% see results they can't measure, and 10% haven't tried to measure at all.
- Marketers are on their own—and paying their own way: 55% say they personally own AI adoption at their company, 85% learn by experimenting on their own, and just 7% receive company-provided training. More than half (53%) spend their own money on AI tools, and 85% pay in some form.
- Optimism, with anxiety underneath: A remarkable 91% agree AI will change how work is done in their industry, and 84% increased their use over the past year. Yet 46% believe AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates over the next 3 years—twice the 23% who expect a net gain—and roughly three-quarters worry about accuracy (78%) and data privacy (77%).
- Data privacy is surging as a concern: Agreement that data privacy and security is a concern rose from 67% to 77% in two years, nearly matching accuracy (78%)—which has barely moved. Marketers are no longer just worried about whether AI gets things right; they're worried about what happens to their data.
- Employers are getting on board: The share who say AI is encouraged in their industry jumped 11 points to 74%, and the share of companies that encourage AI use rose from 62% to 76% in just one year.
- B2B is ahead of B2C on the adoption curve: Marketers who sell to businesses are consistently further along—more use AI daily (80% vs. 68%), more have company-funded tools, and more are experimenting with agents (31% vs. 17%). Notably, B2B name Claude their most important platform (48% vs. 30%) while B2C lean ChatGPT (44% vs. 32%). Those selling to consumers are earlier in the journey: newer to AI, more often on free or self-funded tools, and hungrier to learn the fundamentals.
The above summary is just a taste of what's in this report. Below, you'll find 32 charts that visually convey some of our fascinating findings.
How often marketers use AI
We asked marketers how often they use AI for work. Nearly three out of four (73%) use AI every single day, and another 17% use it weekly. Only 2% never touch it.
73% of marketers now use AI daily
Daily use is now the defining behavior of the AI-powered marketer: 90% of marketers use AI at least weekly.
Note: our 2025 survey asked about “generative AI tools,” while this year we asked about “AI for work,” and the two surveys drew from different (though overlapping) samples of our community. Treat this comparison as directional.
We also asked marketers how their AI use changed over the past year: 84% said it increased, and only 3% pulled back.
84% increased their AI use over the past year
Looking ahead, the momentum continues. 78% of marketers expect their AI usage to increase over the next 12 months, and just 2% expect it to decrease.
78% expect to use AI even more over the next 12 months
The takeaway: adoption isn't just broad—it's still accelerating, even among people already using AI every day.
Marketers' AI experience
We asked marketers how long they've been using AI for their work. The center of gravity is 2 years (30%), and nearly two-thirds (65%) have 2 or more years of experience. Only 13% started within the last year.
Two years is the most common level of AI experience
This is no longer an industry of beginners. The 2022–2023 wave of early adopters has matured into an experienced majority.
Note: the 2025 question measured tenure with “generative AI” in months; this year's asked about “AI for your work” in years. The comparison is directional, but the direction is unmistakable.
The experienced majority: 2+ years of AI experience, 2025 vs. 2026
Experience is translating into depth. We asked what percentage of marketers' work involves AI tools: for nearly one in three (32%), AI now touches the majority of their work, and another 26% put it at 26–50%.
For 1 in 3 marketers, AI now touches the majority of their work
AI has moved from a side tool to the operating layer of modern marketing.
The AI platforms marketers use
We asked marketers which AI platforms they use for their work (selecting all that apply). ChatGPT leads adoption at 81%, followed by Claude (65%) and Gemini (60%). Microsoft's Copilot sits at 26%, while Grok (8%), DeepSeek (4%), and Llama (1%) barely register.
ChatGPT remains the most widely used AI platform
Most marketers use multiple platforms: the big three—ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini—have all crossed majority adoption.
Looking across three years of data, the platform landscape has shifted dramatically. ChatGPT peaked at 90% in 2025 before pulling back to 81%. Claude tripled—from 18% in 2024 to 65% today. Gemini nearly doubled, from 33% to 60%. Meanwhile, Copilot has held flat near 26% for three consecutive years.
Claude tripled its user base in two years while ChatGPT dipped from its peak
The story isn't just who's on top—it's the velocity of change. Claude and Gemini are gaining users faster than ChatGPT ever did, and the era of a single dominant platform appears to be ending.
Here's a closer look at how platform use shifts with experience. We compared the marketers who've been using AI for less than a year against the veterans with three or more years under their belt.
As marketers gain AI experience, they diversify—and Claude sees the biggest jump
Newcomers cluster around ChatGPT (68%) and Gemini (51%), with Claude a more distant third at 46%. Among the most experienced marketers, all three of the leading platforms climb—but Claude climbs the most, jumping 30 points to 76% and nearly catching ChatGPT. The smaller platforms stay flat regardless of experience, so the story of growing tenure is really a story of adding the big three, with Claude the primary beneficiary.
The most important AI platform for marketers is…
Because marketers could only make one selection, the findings here are revealing. Marketers chose Claude as their most preferred platform (42%)—edging out ChatGPT at 39%. Gemini (11%) and Copilot (7%) trail well behind.
Claude edges out ChatGPT as the most important platform
This is the first time in this study that ChatGPT hasn't held the top spot for importance.
The gap between usage and importance tells the real story. ChatGPT is used by 81% of marketers but named most important by only 39%—meaning fewer than half of its users consider it their primary tool. Claude, used by 65%, converts a striking 64% of its user base into “most important” votes.
AI platforms marketers want to learn more about
We asked marketers which AI platforms they'd like to better understand. Claude tops the list at 68%, ahead of Gemini (51%) and ChatGPT (44%).
Claude tops the list of platforms marketers want to master
Note that only 44% want to learn more about ChatGPT—the lowest figure among the big three—suggesting marketers feel they've largely figured it out. The learning energy has shifted to Claude.
Paying for AI tools: paid versions vs. free
We asked marketers whether they rely on paid AI tools or get by on free versions—and, when they do pay, who covers the cost. The verdict is decisive: the overwhelming majority have moved onto paid tools. A striking 85% pay in some form, and just 15% stick with free versions alone. Among those paying, companies foot the bill for 32%, while 27% pay entirely out of their own pocket and another 26% split it—paying both personally and through their company.
85% of marketers pay for AI tools—only 15% rely on free versions
Add it up and 53% of marketers are spending their own money on AI tools—whether entirely on their own or splitting the cost with their employer. That level of out-of-pocket investment shows how essential these tools have become: most marketers won't settle for the free tier to get their work done.
The content marketers create with AI
We asked marketers what types of content they're creating or enhancing with AI. Written content is nearly universal at 95%, followed by images (67%). Video (37%) and audio (21%) remain minority activities.
Nearly every marketer uses AI for written content
When we asked what content types marketers would like to learn to create with AI, the order flips: video leads at 74%, ahead of images (53%) and written content (52%).
Video is the #1 content type marketers want to learn
Put the two questions side by side and the story jumps out: video shows a 37-point gap between the share who want to learn it (74%) and the share actually doing it (37%). Audio shows a similar dynamic at half the scale (45% vs. 21%). Written content runs the other way—adoption (95%) far exceeds learning demand (52%).
The AI video divide: high demand, low adoption
The AI video divide is the biggest content opportunity in this year's study. The tools exist; the skills haven't caught up.
The rise of AI agents
New this year, we asked marketers whether they're using AI agents that operate autonomously. Just 11% have agents in their regular workflow, and 24% are experimenting. The largest group—44%—plans to adopt them but hasn't yet. Only 13% have no plans, and 8% aren't familiar with agents at all.
AI agents: 35% are in, 44% are on deck
Read those numbers together: 79% of marketers are either using agents or planning to. The gap between today's 35% (using or experimenting) and that 79% is where the next wave of AI adoption will happen.
AI tasks marketers want to learn
We asked marketers which tasks they'd like to learn to use AI for. Automating repetitive tasks leads at 77%, followed closely by building workflows (75%), analyzing data (71%), and research (70%).
Automation and workflows top marketers’ AI learning wish list
The pattern is unmistakable: the top two answers—automation and workflows—are the building blocks of agentic marketing. Marketers aren't just looking for a better writing assistant anymore; they want AI to run processes.
Note: the 2025 survey asked about “generative AI” with a partially different list of options; comparisons cover only the options that appeared in both years.
The benefits of using AI
We asked marketers to rate their agreement with a series of statements about how AI helps them. Time savings tops the list—86% agree AI saves them time (with 49% strongly agreeing)—followed by increased productivity (86%) and improved knowledge (83%).
Time savings and productivity lead the benefits of AI
Even the lowest-ranked benefit—improved confidence—draws 69% agreement. Notably, 75% agree AI reduces their reliance on other people, a quiet finding with big implications for how marketing teams are structured.
The return marketers see from AI
We asked marketers what kind of return they've seen from using AI. The most common answer: “some results, hard to measure” (39%). Only 30% report significant, measurable results, while 17% say it's too early to tell and 10% haven't tried to measure.
Only 30% can point to significant, measurable results
Here's the tension in this year's data: nearly 9 in 10 marketers are convinced AI saves time and boosts productivity, but fewer than 1 in 3 can prove it with measurable results. The good news? Only 3% report little to no results. The measurement gap isn't a value problem—it's a discipline waiting to be built.
AI topics marketers want to learn more about
We asked marketers which AI topics they'd like to learn more about. Using AI agents claims the top spot at 74%, just ahead of using AI tools effectively (72%) and using AI assistants (64%).
AI agents are the #1 topic marketers want to learn about
Writing better prompts—the hot topic of the industry's early years—now ranks near the bottom at 50%. Marketers have moved past the basics; they want systems, not sentences.
How marketers learn AI
We asked marketers how they learn to apply AI to their work. The answer, overwhelmingly, is on their own: 85% learn by experimenting, 61% watch online tutorials, and 55% take courses, webinars, or workshops.
Marketers are overwhelmingly self-taught
At the very bottom: company-provided training, at just 7%. Pair that with the 55% who say they personally own AI adoption and a clear picture emerges—the AI transformation of marketing is being driven bottom-up by self-taught individuals, not top-down by organizations.
Marketers' concerns about AI
AI enthusiasm doesn't mean AI comfort. We asked marketers to rate their agreement with a series of concerns. Accuracy and reliability of generated content leads (78% agree), followed closely by data privacy and security (77%)—which draws the most intense worry, with 42% strongly agreeing.
Accuracy and data privacy top marketers’ AI concerns
Even the lowest-ranked concern—AI dependency reducing human skills—troubles a majority (58%). These are power users, and they're clear-eyed about the risks: heavy use and healthy skepticism are coexisting.
The single biggest challenge marketers face with AI
The concerns above came from a fixed list. We also asked an open-ended question—“What is your single biggest challenge when using AI for your work?”—and read and coded every answer. Almost no one questioned whether to use AI. The struggle is keeping up with it, trusting it, and making it sound like them—the friction of adoption, not the question of it.
Learning how to use AI well is the #1 challenge — ahead of any concern about the technology itself
Read together, the top four themes are all about using AI better, not whether it works. Three patterns stand out. First, the challenge has shifted from adoption to mastery: marketers have adopted AI, and their problems are now those of daily users—keeping pace, trusting output, and producing work that doesn't sound like a machine. Second, the demand signal is specific: the #2 theme, building agents and workflows, is exactly what marketers say they most want to learn. And third, accuracy is the tax on trust—the single most-repeated word across every answer—with many describing a “trust but verify” loop that eats the very time AI was meant to save.
Method: open-text responses were read and coded into recurring themes; a response can contribute to more than one theme, so shares sum to over 100%.
Marketers' outlook on AI
We asked marketers about the role AI plays in their industry and career. An overwhelming 91% agree AI will change how work is done in their industry—with 49% strongly agreeing. Three-quarters say AI use is encouraged at their company (76%) and in their industry (74%), and 69% believe AI will create new opportunities in their field.
91% agree AI will change how work is done in their industry
But when we asked what AI will do to jobs over the next 3 years, the mood darkens: 46% believe more jobs will be eliminated than created—double the 23% who expect a net gain. A further 24% simply aren't sure.
Nearly half expect AI to eliminate more jobs than it creates
Marketers are betting on AI while bracing for its consequences. The rational response, visible throughout this report, is to become the person who masters the tools.
Who owns AI adoption?
We asked marketers who is primarily responsible for AI adoption at their company. A majority—55%—said “me.” Another 19% called it a shared responsibility, while only 11% pointed to leadership. At 10% of companies, no one has been assigned.
For most marketers, AI adoption starts with “me”
Keep in mind that many of our respondents are founders and CEOs of small businesses, which partly explains the “me” majority. Still, only 7% receive company-provided training—so even where ownership is clear, support is thin.
Survey participant demographics
We primarily leveraged email to find participants for our survey, recruiting from the Social Media Examiner community. We conducted this survey in July of 2026 and closed it with 681 participants.
Roles: CEOs and presidents are the largest group at 29%, followed by consultants and freelancers (16%), managers (14%), and directors (12%).
Industries: Nearly a third (31%) work in marketing, PR, or advertising, with education (7%) the next largest group and a long tail across two dozen other industries.
Company size: The largest group works for small businesses of 2–10 employees (36%), followed by the self-employed (24%). Sixty percent of participants come from businesses with 10 or fewer people.
Age: This is an experienced audience: 32% are in their 50s and six in ten (60%) are 50 or older. Only 4% are under 30.
Gender: 63% of participants identify as female and 34% as male.
Primary target audience: Participants split almost exactly down the middle: 50% primarily market to businesses (B2B) and 50% to consumers (B2C).
Location: 63% of participants live in the United States, followed by Canada (5%), the United Kingdom (4%), and Australia (3%), with the remainder spread across dozens of countries.
About the author
Michael Stelzner is the founder of Social Media Examiner and author of the books Launch and Writing White Papers. He's the host of the Social Media Marketing podcast and the AI Explored podcast, and the founder of Social Media Marketing World.
About Social Media Examiner: The world's largest small business marketing resource, Social Media Examiner helps marketers discover how to better connect with customers, drive traffic, generate awareness, and increase sales. Social Media Examiner also hosts the largest social media marketing conference, Social Media Marketing World, as well as AI Business World.
