72% of marketers plan more AI use but only 45% feel ready

Programmatic media accomplice MiQ launched findings on November 11, 2025, displaying a considerable disconnect between synthetic intelligence adoption intentions and precise implementation confidence throughout the promoting business. The worldwide survey reveals 72% of entrepreneurs plan to use AI in additional methods over the subsequent 12 months, but solely 45% really feel assured of their capacity to use it efficiently.

The primary version of “The AI Confidence Curve” report surveyed 3,169 entrepreneurs throughout 16 nations in September 2025, based on MiQ. The analysis examined utilization and readiness ranges round totally different elements of AI in promoting, portray an image of an business wanting to advance whereas nonetheless creating the abilities and techniques wanted to attain AI’s potential.

“We found that the majority entrepreneurs are bunched collectively on the early phases of a confidence curve,” stated Jordan Bitterman, Chief Advertising and marketing Officer at MiQ. The 27-percentage-point hole between utilization and readiness represents what the corporate characterizes as “pure alternative” requiring funding in instruments and coaching.

Present AI functions reveal adoption patterns

Entrepreneurs at the moment apply AI most comfortably to social media administration at 40%, advertising and marketing automation at 39%, and buyer engagement at 38%, based on the survey. These areas align with duties the place generative AI instruments like ChatGPT show most helpful. The information reveals 66% of respondents at the moment use AI instruments on most or all initiatives.

Advert marketing campaign administration reached 35% adoption, whereas content material creation and advert artistic design/optimization every hit 32%. Visible design functions stood at 37%, with search engine marketing and content material optimization at 33%. The comparatively excessive adoption charges throughout a number of capabilities reveal AI integration into varied advertising and marketing workflows.

Geographic variations in confidence ranges present Canada, Australia, and Japan main in optimistic sentiment towards AI options. China, Mexico, and Thailand confirmed decrease confidence ranges, attributed to elements together with cultural prevalence of AI and obtainable instruments.

Information gaps impede assured implementation

Amongst entrepreneurs reporting low confidence, 40% cite their group’s inadequate understanding of AI or giant language fashions. This data deficit stems from insufficient coaching and understanding that pushes entrepreneurs towards simplified, basic AI instruments moderately than highly effective bespoke options designed for particular promoting functions.

The analysis identifies three main elements constraining marketer confidence. First, 38% cite lack of coaching on AI instruments. Second, 42% point out limitations on sharing information with their chosen instruments. Third, 44% checklist incapability to trace outcomes towards acceptable objectives as a big barrier.

Many entrepreneurs depend on proxy metrics like clicks or internet site visitors that fail to seize AI’s broader enterprise impression, based on the findings. Almost two in 5 senior advertising and marketing professionals admit they’re nonetheless constructing the schooling, measurement, and workflow techniques wanted to make use of AI confidently and persistently. That very same proportion of each junior and senior entrepreneurs report not receiving correct coaching on instruments they have already got.

Measurement confidence reveals blended outcomes

The survey reveals 49% of entrepreneurs really feel assured of their information of AI expertise. Nonetheless, solely 45% categorical full confidence of their capacity to make use of AI options to attain operational efficiencies, demonstrating that understanding expertise does not essentially translate to efficient utility.

For particular duties, confidence ranges range. Entrepreneurs present 49% confidence of their group’s capacity to make use of AI to create helpful insights and intelligence, whereas 43% really feel assured about utilizing AI to optimize channel choice. Confidence in utilizing AI to optimize efficiency towards advertising and marketing KPIs stands at 40%, with the identical proportion reporting confidence of their firm’s inner AI-based options.

Almost half of entrepreneurs discover AI makes measuring cookieless environments manageable, whereas 44% really feel assured figuring out how focusing on and inventive drive efficiency. The analysis reveals 43% of entrepreneurs consider they’ve efficient measurement in place for each a part of the funnel.

Senior entrepreneurs reveal greater confidence than junior professionals. Some 47% of senior entrepreneurs really feel assured of their groups’ capacity to optimize efficiency, in comparison with 36% of junior professionals. This sample extends to confidence in inner and exterior options.

Information entry emerges as crucial problem

The lack to share consumer or model information with AI instruments represents a basic problem affecting over 40% of respondents. When AI can’t ingest brand-specific information, it can’t ship personalized optimization and insights. This limitation forces entrepreneurs towards generic instruments moderately than specialised options designed for promoting functions.

Among the many 37% who report struggling to make use of AI for creating insights and intelligence, information entry restrictions rank as the first concern. With out first-party information integration, generic AI instruments produce generic suggestions that fail to account for particular enterprise contexts, marketing campaign histories, or distinctive viewers traits.

The analysis suggests dependable third-party information sources can partially handle first-party information limitations. Nonetheless, the standard hole between generic suggestions and data-driven customization stays vital.

Amazon launched AI agent capabilities earlier in November for automated marketing campaign administration throughout Amazon Advertising and marketing Cloud and Multimedia Options with Amazon DSP. StackAdapt introduced its Ivy AI assistant in July 2025, processing pure language queries for programmatic promoting. These developments reveal the business’s motion towards accessible AI interfaces.

Adoption plans reveal assured optimism

Wanting ahead to the subsequent 12 months, 75% of entrepreneurs who really feel assured reaching outcomes plan to extend AI utilization. Half of this group report having acceptable objectives in place to trace efficiency. For the 41% assured of their group’s capacity to optimize towards outcomes, information sharing stays the highest concern with coaching following intently.

Major success metrics present 49% of entrepreneurs use engagement metrics together with click-through charges, engagement, and e-mail opens. Net site visitors follows at 46%, with conversions at 30%. Monetary metrics like ROI, ROAS, and CPA attain 44% adoption. Buyer retention stands at 36%, whereas model sentiment reaches 34%.

The survey reveals entrepreneurs monitoring totally different metrics present comparable confidence ranges about driving outcomes. Whether or not specializing in click-through charges or model sentiment, entrepreneurs reveal comparable functionality optimization. This implies AI-powered measurement instruments are starting to make historically troublesome metrics extra accessible.

Entrepreneurs who view shoppers by the lens of a purchase order journey moderately than channels discover it simpler to generate significant insights with AI, based on the findings. Some 73% of respondents now plan for the patron journey moderately than organizing methods round channels.

Coaching deficits restrict AI effectiveness

Even entrepreneurs absolutely assured of their group’s capacity to drive advertising and marketing outcomes and optimize efficiency determine coaching as a priority. Multiple in ten from this assured group cite lack of coaching as a key barrier to elevated effectiveness.

The pace of AI improvement creates ongoing challenges as entrepreneurs should observe new fashions, new instruments, and fixed adjustments. Customized-built inner instruments usually lack formal coaching applications, leaving groups to develop experience by trial and error. This method proves inefficient and prevents groups from accessing AI’s full capabilities.

The analysis signifies 44% of entrepreneurs really feel their group does not perceive AI or LLMs nicely sufficient, immediately contributing to low confidence with insights and intelligence functions. Higher basic understanding of AI permits simpler particular functions throughout promoting capabilities.

IAB Europe reported in September that 60% of corporations present AI schooling to advertising and marketing personnel, with two-thirds expressing curiosity in business affiliation tips. DoubleVerify found in August that entrepreneurs spend 10 hours weekly on guide marketing campaign optimization duties together with bid modifications and price range allocations.

Platform fragmentation complicates adoption

AI options that do not shortly combine into current companies, match present workflows, and ingest model information face rejection from entrepreneurs overwhelmed by technical complexity. The hole between AI functionality and sensible implementation stays substantial for a lot of organizations.

Generic instruments like ChatGPT provide accessibility however lack the specialised options required for classy promoting functions. Bespoke options constructed for promoting present superior capabilities however require technical experience and information integration that many advertising and marketing groups can’t present.

The analysis methodology partnered with Censuswide to survey entrepreneurs from companies and types throughout each stage of job title and seniority. International locations included the US, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and Singapore.

Trade implications for advertising and marketing operations

The 27-point confidence hole carries vital implications for promoting expertise adoption and advertising and marketing effectiveness. Organizations face selections about coaching investments, device choice, and workflow redesign as AI turns into more and more central to marketing campaign administration.

The trail ahead requires a number of coordinated efforts, based on the report. First, adopting partner-agnostic options that combine a number of platforms eliminates information silos and delivers extra correct insights. Second, integrating AI into efficiency measurement by tying techniques on to marketing campaign KPIs permits real-time analysis and hyperlinks adoption to enterprise impression.

Third, investing in AI literacy throughout groups by ongoing coaching builds competence that drives confidence. With 44% citing inner information gaps, embedding AI schooling into on a regular basis advertising and marketing observe turns into important. Fourth, preserving human experience ensures skilled entrepreneurs apply judgment, preserve accountability, and validate suggestions earlier than implementation.

“Each marketer is looking for the steadiness between studying and main with AI,” Bitterman acknowledged. “Those who advance quickest will deal with confidence as a functionality, one thing constructed day-after-day by connection, curiosity, and collaboration.”

McKinsey analysis in July confirmed $1.1 billion in fairness funding flowed into agentic AI throughout 2024, with job postings associated to the expertise rising 985% from 2023 to 2024. The funding patterns spotlight complicated relationships between expertise maturity and market adoption as organizations face scaling challenges from compute-intensive workloads.

The findings arrive as main platforms speed up AI integration. Google unveiled comprehensive AI advertising capabilities at Suppose Week in September, together with agentic advisors for Google Advertisements, Analytics, and cross-platform advertising and marketing. Amazon added AI agent capabilities for Advertising and marketing Cloud analytics queries, translating enterprise questions into executable database queries by conversational prompts.

The promoting expertise panorama continues shifting towards clever automation and pure language interfaces. Nonetheless, the MiQ analysis demonstrates that technological functionality alone can’t drive adoption. Confidence constructed by coaching, information entry, acceptable measurement frameworks, and human experience determines whether or not AI delivers on its potential or stays an underutilized device.

Organizations treating confidence as a functionality requiring deliberate funding in schooling, techniques, and processes place themselves to seize AI’s advantages. People who deploy instruments with out corresponding investments in enablement threat becoming a member of the organizations reporting zero returns on substantial AI expenditures.

Timeline

Abstract

Who: MiQ, a world programmatic media accomplice headquartered in London with 21 places of work throughout North America, Europe, APAC, and Latin America, carried out the analysis with Chief Advertising and marketing Officer Jordan Bitterman main the evaluation. Respondents included 3,169 entrepreneurs from companies and types throughout all seniority ranges in 16 nations.

What: The analysis reveals a 27-percentage-point hole between AI adoption intentions (72% planning elevated utilization) and implementation confidence (45% feeling able to profitable utility). Major limitations embrace inadequate coaching (38%), information sharing restrictions (42%), and incapability to trace acceptable objectives (44%). Present AI functions concentrate on social media administration (40%), advertising and marketing automation (39%), and buyer engagement (38%).

When: The survey occurred in September 2025 by partnership with Censuswide, with outcomes launched November 11, 2025, as the primary version of “The AI Confidence Curve” report analyzing the promoting business’s present place in AI adoption.

The place: The worldwide survey spanned 16 nations together with the US, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and Singapore, representing various geographic markets and cultural contexts.

Why: The analysis issues as a result of it quantifies the disconnect between AI funding momentum and sensible implementation functionality throughout promoting. With 44% of entrepreneurs citing organizational information gaps and 42% unable to share information with AI instruments, the findings determine particular limitations stopping the business from realizing AI’s potential regardless of widespread recognition of its significance and substantial deliberate investments.