Are we replaceable? Will AI replace marketers?

This seems to be the question of the day… Will AI replace marketers?
So… I ask ChatGPT and this is what it said: (feel free to skip below for my summary)
“AI is unlikely to completely replace marketing, but it will certainly change the way that marketing is done. As with any major technological shift, there will be winners and losers. Those marketers who embrace AI and use it to their advantage will likely thrive, while those who resist or fail to adapt may struggle to keep up.
One of the biggest advantages of AI in marketing is its ability to analyze vast amounts of data and provide insights that would be impossible for humans to uncover on their own. This can help marketers to better understand their target audience, personalize their messaging, and optimize their campaigns for maximum impact.
However, AI is not a magic solution and it still requires human input and expertise to be effective. Marketers will need to have a good understanding of how AI works and how to integrate it into their marketing strategies. They will also need to continue to develop their own skills and knowledge in order to stay ahead of the curve.
In summary, AI will not replace marketing, but it will definitely change it. Marketers who embrace AI and use it to their advantage will be able to achieve greater success than those who do not.” - ChatGPT
Thanks, ChatGPT, for telling us all what we most definitely already knew… In summary, marketing will, for the long foreseeable future, require human input and expertise.
However, what do AI and the influx of marketing tools mean for the marketing profession right now?
Who is the next unicorn marketer of the future?
I looked to Google for some of their thoughts and in this recent video
How Search AI is Changing Marketing an interview of four search marketing experts from May 4, 2023. While some of these items are somewhat contradicting for a 2:41 min video these five points really jumped out at me:
Innovation and the Acceptance of Failure
The first key takeaway is really around the need for an increase in dedication to creating more “time to try change.” Google is endorsing this idea for the need for “time” and license to “try things.” For the masses of marketers, innovation is definitely the name of the game. However, time and “chance to fail” have been stripped away. In our recent study, 2022 State of Today's Marketing Department Survey, 81% of marketers surveyed felt that the demands put on the marketing team greatly increased since the pandemic. With increased demands, it is fair to say that the ability to take chances and try new things is greatly diminished.
More Curiosity
The need for more curiosity within marketers has always been a basic tenant of marketers. However, keeping up with the Jones, including the newest idea coming at you from every angle of the company has, over time, overshadowed the ability to be curious.
Even with AI, Strong Analytics
The third idea that jumped out of this video is that skills of the next marketer are going to be “data engineering, strategic creative planning, and really strong analytical abilities.” Strategy and data engineering typically are strengths that come from different parts of a team. I, for one, am always better when I have a strong data engineer by my side. It takes both kinds, but not necessarily a superhuman with both skills.
Age-old Battle Between the Generalist and the Specialist
We continue to oscillate between the generalist vs the specialist. I continue to be leery of the role of the “generalist” (which, of course, I call myself). It still becomes a rabbit hole for many marketers. While it is important for us to know enough about each element of marketing when we are “good enough” in too many of these areas, we end up watering down our focus and the ability to keep up with the massive change within each marketing area.
Always Strategy
Lastly, and most importantly, yes… The most important part of marketing is “strategy.” It is the ability for us to take what we see, analyze, and hear and put that into useable tactics.
So Google… I am going to give your little video a thumbs up on clickbait because you hit all the right “keywords”, but thumbs down because you left us, marketers, exactly where we were before… confused!
My summary of the above video, if I am allowed to have my own interpretation of it, is that as marketers the need for strong, free-thinking, chance-taking strategists is key to the success of a marketing program.
