Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow more and more popular in the spheres that involve processing large amounts of information within limited timelines. Marketing is among those; the key to success in it lies in constant awareness of the recent tendencies in the market as well as in consumer behavior, which calls for never-ending data analysis. The use of AI, meanwhile, helps automate the process, consequently improving the productivity of businesses, possibly by up to 40% (Ramyalg, 2022, para. 3). The improvement means not only saving time and money, but also better quality of customer service due to the possibility to invest more resources in it. Another essential benefit from using AI is the reduction of error rates by minimizing the human factor (“AI could reduce,” 2018). The algorithm does not skip anything and cannot be tired or distracted, which, along with the incomparably higher speed, makes it substantially more effective than humans are.
The latter nuance actually is the reason why many assume that AI will be able to replace marketing jobs in the future. In addition, it is worth noting that the human factor involves bias and prejudice, which can distort judgement and, consequently, influence the final decision (“AI could reduce,” 2018). Considering all of the above, it seems to be relevant to guess that artificial intelligence could replace people in marketing jobs because it is substantially more reliable. In the opinion of those who support this idea, such a shift could result in substantially better understanding of consumer behavior, notably, a broader perspective on the recent tendencies and the drivers of change.
In fact, however, the use of AI cannot eliminate the involvement of people in marketing activities. The main reason is that it is able exclusively to simplify and quicken the accomplishment of certain tasks, but not organize and control the performance of a business on its own. Notably, only humans can be creative thinkers and generate the ideas that set the directions for further activity, for instance, design marketing campaigns. AI algorithms, meanwhile, are “built for repetitive tasks” and can only assist in analytical routine, but not in decision making (“Will digital marketers be out,” 2021, para. 1). The latter requires not only creativity, but also critical thinking, of which machines remain incapable.
Another consequence of the fact the previous paragraph mentions is the need for humans to program AI. Simply stated, someone has to write and adjust the algorithms that it will follow. This actually compromises the above ability of machines to minimize bias because algorithms may involve it in case their authors are prejudiced towards certain topics or categories of people; therefore, their usefulness is limited.
Relationships with customers that should be based on trust for maximal effectiveness also are a noteworthy area. Building them requires emotional response and interpersonal connections, which skills are unavailable for AI as well. It can analyze questions and generate answers, relying on the accessible data, but emotion-driven communication is beyond its functionality (“Will digital marketers be out,” 2021, para. 1). Meanwhile, personal interactions are critical in marketing, similar to any sphere that involves work with customers, due to which humans are irreplaceable in it. Furthermore, using AI may even create new jobs due to the need to program it as well as monitor its performance (ibid). The answer to the question whether it will replace marketing jobs in the future, therefore, doubtlessly is negative.