A new report from the Association for Data-Driven Marketers (ADMA) has revealed that AI usage in the industry has surged but formal training and understanding of the technology among marketers is low.
Specifically, the report—AI, Talent & Trust: A New Blueprint for Marketing Leadership—found that while three-quarters of marketers use AI weekly, just 29 per cent have formal training, revealing a clear skills imbalance.
This gap, ADMA said, exposes weaknesses in marketing technology, data management, and automation that could limit marketers’ ability to fully harness AI’s potential.
“The future isn’t coming – it’s already here. AI is no longer a curiosity on the side; it’s already in our workflows, campaigns and customer conversations,” says Andrea Martens, CEO of ADMA.
“But while AI can generate at scale, it cannot imagine, empathise or judge. That is why this report goes beyond technology – it is about people, creativity and trust. By providing clear frameworks and ethical guardrails, we want to ensure marketers can lead with confidence and unlock the full potential of an AI-powered future.”
The report is authored by leading AI practitioners Lisa Talia Moretti and Daniel Bluzer-Fry, with insights from a distinguished group of industry leaders, including futurist Tom Goodwin, Deloitte Partner David Phillips, Zip Co’s senior director of marketing research Sonny Sethi, Archie CEO Steve Brennen, and ADMA regulatory expert Peter Leonard – all members of ADMA’s Advisory Council.
It also features contributions from Reejig CEO Siobhan Savage and ADMA Policy Manager Dr Sage Kelly, offering a broad range of perspectives across strategy, technology, workforce, and policy.
Other key findings from the report include that marketers are using AI to support, not replace their work in content creation and idea generation to refining brand tone. More than 70 per cent of respondents are optimistic about AI’s long-term impact on effectiveness, but the oversaturation of AI-generated content, loss of originality and data privacy concerns remain key risks.
It also highlighted the need for “X-shaped” professionals who combine breadth across creativity, strategy and data with depth in specialist expertise. These individuals are essential for guiding AI tools effectively and ensuring multidisciplinary teams work seamlessly across silos.
ADMA said the organisations that thrive will be those embedding experimentation and continuous learning into their culture. The report outlines practical steps such as creating safe “sandboxes” to test tools, building “AI champions” within teams and encouraging peer-to-peer learning to drive responsible adoption.
It also found that only 36 per cent of Australians say they trust AI, highlighting the fragile foundation on which adoption currently sits. The report calls on marketers to lead the way, embedding Fairness, Accountability, Transparency and Ethics (FATE) into AI workflows to protect consumer confidence and position responsible AI as the basis for loyalty and long-term growth.
