While many consumers are cautious of generative AI’s impact on society, they want marketers to lead the way in developing the technology. According to a new Gartner study, consumers are more confident that genAI magic will take off in marketing than in any other area.
A whopping 38% of consumers polled in June and July stated they were very or somewhat comfortable with generative AI technology in marketing. Another 27% indicated that they were neither comfortable nor disturbed. Thirty-five percent of consumers were somewhat or very concerned.
In every other industry, from manufacturing to health care to legal services, dissatisfied customers equaled or surpassed those who were satisfied with genAI.
Why we care. GenAI has introduced new powers to marketers, but will customers accept them? Building consumer trust is an ongoing undertaking for marketers across a wide range of topics, including customer experience and privacy, the environment, and social justice.
Overall, 53% of consumers think genAI would have a negative impact on society. The mood regarding AI in marketing is substantially more positive.
Marketing-related industries. Other industries in the research connect with marketing, such as retail and customer service.
Positive and negative feeling about retail are balanced (34% each), although a bigger percentage (33%) are undecided about retail than marketing.
In customer service, the odds are stacked against genAI. Twenty-eight percent of consumers support it, while 44% oppose.
When clients seek services, it appears that more of them want to know that they are communicating with a genuine person.
Gen AI for marketing. According to another Gartner survey conducted earlier this spring, marketers are already experimenting with genAI technologies, whether or not customers have given their OK.
Forty-eight percent of the 98 marketers polled indicated they were presently utilizing genAI, with another 43% saying they planned to in the future.
The top applications of genAI in marketing were:
- Content marketing (76% of those who use genAI)
- Product marketing (43%)
- Customer experience (37%)
- Lead generation (36%)
- Advertising (31%)
Only 30% of firms who use genAI in marketing use it for marketing operations, while 18% use it for branding. Sixteen percent used it for public relations.