New Optimizely report shows growing gap between AI promises and marketers’ reality

Global survey of over 2,000 marketing executives shows that AI increases content production, but that time gains are often eaten up by review, corrections and quality checks.

Optimizely, the AI platform for digital experiences and marketing, presents a new global study in which more than 2,000 marketing leaders in seven markets were surveyed to map how AI is changing the daily work of marketing.

The report shows that AI is now a natural part of many marketing departments' workflows. At the same time, a new challenge is emerging in the form of a so-called “audit tax”, where the time that AI was expected to save is instead used to review, fact-check, edit and quality-assert AI-generated content. According to the study, the big question is no longer whether companies are using AI, but how the technology can be implemented in a way that reduces complexity rather than creating new work.

The audit tax eats up AI's time gains

For many marketers, the biggest challenge lies not in using AI, but in the post-production work required to make the material ready for publication.

The study shows that:

• 76 percent spend at least three hours each week editing, fact-checking, or correcting AI-generated content.
• 48 percent state that fact-checking and checking AI hallucinations is the biggest cause of extra work.
• 40 percent point to time losses when information has to be moved between different, disconnected systems.

Lack of time leads to compromises

The report also shows that the pressure to deliver quickly causes many organizations to compromise on their own quality requirements.

The survey shows that:

• 25 percent say they often or always publish AI-generated content that they know doesn't fully align with the company's brand profile when deadlines are tight.
• 30 percent say they often or always present AI-generated material as if it were entirely self-produced.
• Only 4 percent believe that AI saves time throughout the entire work process.
• Only 19 percent currently work on a fully integrated AI platform. Most still use multiple separate tools and systems.

Big difference between management's image and operational reality

The study also points to a clear difference between how company management and operational marketers perceive AI initiatives.

• 54 percent believe that management underestimates the human effort required for AI-generated material to maintain sufficient quality.
• 69 percent of C-suite executives believe that AI is fully integrated into the organization.
• Among market analysts, only 27 percent share that view.

The differences are also visible when it comes to transparency around AI use.

Among C-suite executives, 44 percent say they often or always present fully AI-generated work as their own, the highest share of all executive levels and almost double the share of middle managers, who report 23 percent.

The report also shows that 65 percent would be willing to pause or reevaluate their company's AI efforts if it provided an opportunity to strengthen governance, improve safeguards, and develop more sustainable ways of working.

AI risks reducing the scope for creativity

Another conclusion is that the increased time for review and administration risks reducing the space for creative and strategic work.

The survey shows that:

• 39 percent feel they are too busy with workflows and operational tasks to be able to think strategically or develop new ideas.
• 46 percent believe that a heavy reliance on AI could hinder the development of creative skills in younger marketers.
• 53 percent believe that today's AI tools can describe facts about a brand but have difficulty capturing the emotional dimension that creates strong customer relationships.
• 51 percent worry that AI is contributing to a growing “sea of sameness,” where brands are becoming increasingly similar to each other.
• Only 30 percent believe their brand has a clearly unique and unmistakable voice.

The report points out that the next phase of AI evolution will not be determined by how much content organizations can produce, but by how well they manage to free up time for strategic thinking, creativity and deeper customer understanding. As AI lowers the threshold for content production, human qualities such as originality, judgment and creativity will become increasingly important competitive advantages.

“AI was supposed to give marketers space to think. What most teams got instead was more to manage. When the pressure doesn’t ease and the infrastructure isn’t in place, people start improvising. Shortcuts, off-brand content, and the invisible hours of extra work are the results when ambitions exceed the technical infrastructure. The good news is that this is a problem that can be solved,”, says Tara Corey, marketing manager at Optimizely.

The full report is available on the Optimizely website.