Revealing the AI Knowledge Gap in Marketing: The Cost of Upskilling
AI is moving faster than most teams can implement. Tools change weekly. Expectations keep rising. The gap between what marketers are asked to do and what they're trained to do is getting wider-and it's costing time, budget, and momentum.
A recent Adobe for Business survey of 400+ U.S. marketers shows the picture clearly: workloads are growing, upskilling is pushed off the calendar, and AI training isn't meeting demand. The result is predictable-more tasks, more tools, and less focus.
The reality: more work, less training
Scope creep is normal now. Over one in five marketers handle 10 or more core responsibilities. More than half are regularly handed tasks outside their job description, with an average of five ad hoc requests per week.
- Most common core responsibilities: marketing strategy (46%), social media (41%), content marketing (37%).
- When extra tasks hit, they're most often: marketing strategy (14%), social media (13%), market research (10%).
- Small businesses reported 26% more tasks than enterprise teams. SMBs load up on social; large companies add strategy; enterprise adds project management.
As more work piles on, the need to learn new skills becomes non-negotiable. Yet formal support lags behind the ask.
Marketers are self-funding their growth
Nearly four in five marketers invested personal time and money to upskill in the past year-about 57 hours off the clock. Over three in four paid out of pocket, spending an average of $310.
- Gen X: 79% trained outside work, averaging 69 hours.
- Gen Z: 82% trained outside work, averaging 68 hours.
- Millennials: ~80% trained outside work, averaging 50 hours.
- Baby Boomers: 67% trained outside work, averaging 31 hours.
Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
AI automation is the top skill target across every generation (39% overall). Baby Boomers are the most committed to learning AI on their own time (67%). Millennials were least likely to train on personal time-but received the most AI training at work.
- Top areas marketers want to learn: AI automation (39%), graphic design (31%), data analytics (27%), leadership (26%), data visualization (21%), web development (20%), email marketing (20%), TikTok (19%).
- Only 23% have received on-the-job AI training.
- Entry-level: 15% report getting AI training at work.
- Managers: 30% got AI training at work, yet more than half still had to build skills outside work.
Tool overload is burning hours
Expectations include instant fluency in new platforms-often without support. Some marketers even pay for the tools they use at work. About one in 10 use eight or more tools weekly, and over two in five pay out of pocket for at least one tool.
- Estimated time lost to inefficient tools: 60 hours per year.
- Biggest culprits: spreadsheets (26%), collaboration tools (18%), CRM (13%), email platforms (11%), social media management (11%), project management (11%).
What leaders should do next
- Fund it: create a quarterly learning stipend and a minimum of 2 hours per week of protected learning time.
- Make AI onboarding standard: short playbooks, approved prompts, data-use guardrails, and "first 30 days" workshops.
- Rationalize the stack: cut overlapping tools, assign owners, document default workflows, and measure tool ROI.
- Tie learning to outcomes: set skill OKRs (e.g., "automate X workflow"), track time saved, and reward applied skills.
- Train managers to coach: managers amplify or block adoption-give them templates, checklists, and demo decks.
What individual marketers can do now
- Run a 30-60-90 learning plan focused on one workflow (e.g., audience research, briefs, post-production).
- Pick one AI tool, one prompt library, and one metric (hours saved/week). Ship case studies internally.
- Host a monthly "show and tell." Teach one automation you built. Build your internal reputation as the go-to.
- Ask for budget with numbers: "This automation saves 2 hours/week = ~100 hours/year. At $50/hour, that's $5,000 in value."
- Get structured training: consider role-based tracks and certification that map to daily tasks. See Courses by Job and the AI Certification for Marketing Specialists.
Simple ROI math you can bring to finance
One marketer who saves 2 hours per week via AI-assisted workflows frees up ~100 hours a year. At $50/hour, that's ~$5,000 in annual value-per seat. Scale that across a 10-person team and training pays for itself fast.
Add the 60 hours lost to inefficient tools, and the upside gets bigger. Trim tool bloat, standardize prompts, and measure time saved. Small wins compound.
Set your AI learning ladder
- Week 1-2: Learn the tool. Build prompts. Document your best two outputs.
- Week 3-4: Automate one task (briefs, drafts, captions, summaries, reporting).
- Month 2: Integrate with your stack (docs, PM, CRM). Track hours saved.
- Month 3: Teach the team. Create a 1-page SOP and a 10-minute demo video.
Helpful references
Visual learner?
Scroll to the end of this article to view infographics highlighting key survey findings and statistics.
Key stats at a glance
- 1 in 5 marketers handle 10+ core responsibilities.
- Average 5 ad hoc tasks per week from managers.
- Top core duties: strategy (46%), social (41%), content (37%).
- Extra tasks skew to strategy (14%), social (13%), research (10%).
- SMBs report 26% more tasks than enterprise teams.
- Upskilling off the clock: ~57 hours/year; average $310 personal spend.
- Only 23% got AI training at work; entry-level at 15%, managers at 30%.
- Most-wanted skills: AI automation (39%), design (31%), analytics (27%).
- Tool drag: 60 hours/year lost; top offenders include spreadsheets (26%) and collaboration tools (18%).
Bottom line
Marketers want to learn and are already paying for it with their own time and money. Give them structure, budget, and a clear path to apply AI where it actually saves time. That's how teams stay competitive without burning out.
Your membership also unlocks:
