Why the AI Era Could Be the Revenge of the English Major
As AI takes over routine tasks, the key marketing skills will shift away from technical know-how. Instead, curiosity, adaptability, and leadership will become essential career assets.
“AI is really the revenge of the English major,” said Teresa Barreira, CMO of digital consultancy Publicis Sapient. You no longer need a computer science degree to lead marketing efforts. The conversation around AI in marketing must move beyond tools and focus on talent. Machines can handle the heavy lifting, but the real advantage lies in honing the skills AI can’t mimic.
In a world where humans are no longer the primary holders of information, intelligence will be measured less by having answers and more by asking the right questions. Critical thinking may soon become more valuable than coding, giving liberal arts graduates a clear path to relevance.
Curiosity
AI can detect patterns and present data, but it can’t ask “why.” That’s why Barreira fosters a “culture of explorers” on her team. She emphasizes creating opportunities to grow, stretch skills, and experiment.
Building this culture means making room for experimentation, sharing failures openly, and prioritizing lessons learned over polished success stories. Barreira runs an annual explorer’s lab, where work pauses for three days so teams can tackle a problem together. It’s a “show your work” exercise that reveals different approaches and thinking.
She also hosts regular “Failing Fridays” to celebrate what didn’t work, awarding experiments that fall short but offer valuable insights.
Plasticity
Adaptability is reacting to change; plasticity is anticipating it. Plasticity means reshaping your thinking ahead of time — testing new strategies, learning from fresh data, and building change into your process so pivots feel like progress, not panic.
Barreira explains, “I like plasticity more than adaptability because plasticity is something you do proactively, not just because you have to.”
In marketing, this translates to continuously reassessing strategies, trying new approaches, and learning from early signals before a shift becomes urgent.
Leadership
Leadership in the AI era is less about having more information than your team and more about guiding with vision and influence.
Barreira points out that leadership behaviors can be taught. It’s about inspiring, aligning, and empowering others rather than relying on authority.
“There’s a difference between leadership and being a leader,” she says. “Leadership can be taught because it’s about behaviors. You don’t have to be a leader to understand leadership.”
Marketers who thrive won’t be those with the flashiest AI tools. They’ll be the ones who sharpen human strengths — asking better questions, anticipating change, and leading with purpose.
As AI handles more execution, the human edge will come from the ability to imagine, anticipate, and inspire.
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