Forward-thinking marketers and digital leaders are already embracing AI to transform marketing outcomes, from dynamic audience segmentation to real-time content updates. Now is the time for marketing leaders to seize the opportunity and harness AI for more effective digital strategies, or get left behind.
New research heightens this sense of urgency. By 2026, 80% of Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) will integrate AI capabilities, either natively or via strategic integrations, according to Gartner’s Hype Cycle for GenAI. This suggests that AI is now a core driver of transformation, marking a significant shift in how companies deliver digital experiences.
Paradoxically, some marketers are taking a more cautious approach to AI as they navigate a delicate balancing act. How can they leverage AI to create personalized, data-driven customer experiences while still maintaining brand integrity, customer trust, and streamlined processes?
Fortunately, there is a roadmap they can follow to find that ideal balance.
Building Better Content with AI
Today, content is king for modern marketers, especially in the age of AI. With 32% of consumers already using ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) to find product information, brands will need to know how to curate relevant content which is frequently surfaced by AI tools.
The good news is that the days of manually creating every piece of content are over, thanks to AI.
Marketers can create more effective content and enhance user experiences while mitigating the risks associated with AI by incorporating human involvement into the content creation process.
Specifically, AI can help with the following:
- Creating content
Unlike slow, manual workflows, modern AI-fueled DXP platforms accelerate content generation. Marketers can draft copy, generate ideas, and build entire pages faster without waiting for handoffs between teams. Furthermore, AI tools can suggest stronger content based on audience insights and brand guidelines, reducing edit and approval cycles, and delivering more relevant content in half the time.
- Managing assets
When AI is integrated with a digital asset tool, it can automatically tag, organize, and surface the right content when needed. Now marketers have a single system where images, videos, documents, and other assets are easily searchable, version-controlled, and accessible across global teams. This not only eliminates duplication and time spent hunting for files, but it also ensures consistency in messaging and branding.
- Optimizing content
AI-driven platforms can ensure that content is optimized automatically for different channels, responsive to all devices, and aligned with accessibility standards. By accessing these capabilities within a single platform, marketing teams gain speed, control, and agility as they deliver more meaningful, personalized digital experiences at scale. Furthermore, these platforms can ensure that the content is optimized for LLMs, making it easier for consumers to access it through ChatGPT and other popular tools.
Optimizing Experiences with AI
Optimizing AI-powered digital experiences in real-time enables marketers to tailor experiences for each individual visitor, predict their needs, and dynamically adjust content and delivery, all without manual intervention. Humans are unable to drive real-time personalization, unlike AI, which can adjust segmentation in real time based on real-time data and analytics.
Today, marketers have access to massive amounts of data that can tell them what’s working, what’s not, who’s engaging, and how they’re engaging. When that data is combined with AI-driven analytics and automation, it fuels continuous optimization. To initiate the optimization process, AI will analyze content engagement trends, user behavior, and interaction patterns, surfacing actionable insights, such as which subjects resonate, which formats convert, and where gaps exist. It can also enable faster cycles and more strategic planning by supporting ideation with on-brand content recommendations and generating first drafts.
Furthermore, AI can also replace traditional audience segmentation with real-time behavioral data, delivering dynamic audience clustering based on intent signals, affinities, and on-site activity.
AI can test, optimize, and iterate, with AI-powered optimization engines running faster tests in parallel, learning from real-time performance, and automatically shifting traffic to the best-performing content or layout.
Eliminating AI Risks with Human Oversight
Marketers are understandably concerned about AI risks, including drifting from brand tone, crossing privacy boundaries, or producing factually incorrect content. Fortunately, proper human oversight can eliminate or mitigate those risks.
To ensure brand consistency, marketers should prioritize strong AI governance and establish clear creative guardrails by embedding brand guidelines directly into AI workflows, thereby defining tone, style, approved terminology, and messaging frameworks.
To address consumer privacy and trust, brands should prioritize transparency and obtain consent, being upfront with customers about how their data is used to personalize their experiences. From there, they should implement robust data governance policies, ensure compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, and utilize privacy-first technologies, including data anonymization and secure data storage.
Marketing teams can ensure that AI delivers accurate content by training and prompting AI models, regularly auditing content, utilizing AI with fact-checking, and maintaining a human presence throughout the process.
Getting Started with AI: Actionable Strategies
Marketers should start small, show value, and gradually scale their efforts when introducing AI to the marketing mix. It is not necessary to overhaul everything at once. Getting started can be done with four easy steps:
- Step One: Marketers should evaluate their workflows to identify areas where AI can deliver immediate value.
- Step Two: Prioritize low-risk areas such as content tagging or metadata translation to build confidence.
- Step Three: Build team alignment and support for AI by emphasizing its benefits. Providing training and promoting cross-functional collaboration will ease the transition and ensure faster buy-in.
- Step Four: Align marketing, creative, IT, and data teams early on to create shared ownership to future-proof AI investments. Establish clear guidelines around brand voice, data privacy, and content review processes. All teams must understand AI’s role and the guardrails in place to protect brand integrity and customer trust.
The Future is Now
AI has emerged as the foundation of next-generation digital experiences. Organizations that embrace AI will not only keep pace; they will set the standard for innovation and excellence. Don’t just ponder whether AI will transform the way marketing teams work.
Instead, think about how your brand will leverage AI to create competitive advantages, inspired content, and exceptional customer experiences. The power to dramatically elevate your digital strategy is right at your fingertips.
