Marketers Struggle With AI Strategy and Training Despite Growing Adoption

Marketers Have Lots of AI, But Not Enough Direction

AI adoption in marketing is growing fast, yet most teams still operate without a clear roadmap or strategy. A recent study by the AI Marketing Institute reveals that 64% of marketing teams lack an AI roadmap, reflecting a broader issue across enterprises. More than half of companies using AI haven't established the necessary policies or procedures to manage the technology responsibly and effectively.

The 2025 State of Marketing AI Report highlights these gaps:

• 55% of companies don’t have policies guiding AI use.
• 51% lack AI ethics policies or responsible AI principles.
• 59% don’t have AI councils to develop policies and practices.

Still, there are signs of progress. The number of marketers with an AI roadmap increased by 6 percentage points to 25%. Companies with AI ethics policies nearly doubled from 23% in 2023 to 41% in 2025, and 29% now have AI councils, up from 25% last year.

Signs of Improvement

Marketers increasingly recognize AI’s importance. About 75% say AI will be “very important” over the next 12 months, marking an 8-point rise from last year. Those who consider AI “critically important” jumped 20 points since 2021. AI’s integration is becoming more evident: 40% are actively testing AI tools, 26% have integrated AI into daily workflows, and 17% report AI is reshaping their approach to work.

For marketing teams, 46% are running initial AI projects, while 14% are scaling AI use across teams—a combined 60%, up 18 points from 2023’s 42%.

Lack of AI Training Remains the Biggest Problem

Despite growing use, lack of AI training is the top hurdle for marketers, cited by 62% for the fifth year in a row. A striking 68% have received no AI training from their companies. Meanwhile, 51% of CEOs and founders don’t see training as an issue, which may slow progress.

Concerns about job security are also rising—53% of marketers believe AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates, up from 40% two years ago. This concern is tied to trends of “quiet AI layoffs,” where companies replace staff with AI or avoid hiring new employees, often masking these moves under other policies.

The companies that invest in AI training will gain an edge. They’ll build expertise in essential technology while reducing costs linked to employee turnover and missed opportunities.

Methodology

The report surveyed nearly 1,900 marketing and business leaders working in content marketing, social media, email marketing, analytics, advertising, and SEO. The survey was conducted between February and April 2025.

For marketers looking to improve AI skills, Complete AI Training offers a range of courses to help teams get up to speed with AI tools and best practices.