Tech Marketers Set the Pace as AI Leaders
Summary
New research commissioned by ActiveCampaign and conducted by Talker Research finds that marketers in tech and startup companies lead the field in AI adoption and maturity. Nearly all tech marketers use AI at work, and a majority apply it to marketing activities — with a higher share identifying as advanced or expert users compared with the broader marketing population. Power Users in this segment report rising confidence as they use AI more, yet many remain cautious about publicly disclosing AI use despite largely positive reactions when they do.
Key Points
- 97% of tech and startup marketers use AI for work; 86% use it for at least one marketing activity.
- Tech marketers show higher maturity: 31% advanced and 19% expert users versus 26% and 15% across all industries.
- Power Users among tech/startup marketers report stronger confidence: 90% say increased AI use improves work quality confidence.
- Comprehensive adoption: 94% of tech & startup Power Users use AI for at least one marketing activity; 33% use AI across all three measured marketing activities.
- Transparency is limited: only 37% of all marketers explicitly disclose AI use; 51% for tech marketers. Of those who disclose, 85% report a positive public response.
- Methodology: Talker Research surveyed 1,000 US marketing professionals between 21 May and 12 June 2025; tech & startup segment = 211 respondents.
Content Summary
The piece highlights that AI is no longer an experimental add‑on for tech and startup marketers — it’s become standard practice. This group not only uses AI widely but also demonstrates greater skill and strategic integration, turning tools into core capabilities. The article calls out the Power User effect: deeper use boosts confidence and broader application across marketing activities. It also notes a disconnect between practice and disclosure — many firms underplay their AI usage despite positive audience reactions.
Finally, the article urges organisations outside the tech/startup bubble to invest in skills and workflow integration to climb the AI maturity curve or risk falling behind as AI becomes the norm.
Context and Relevance
For marketing leaders and practitioners, these findings show the direction of travel: expect AI to move from novelty to baseline competency. Tech and startup marketers are effectively the benchmark for sophisticated AI use in marketing — their practices signal what mainstream teams will need to adopt to stay competitive. The transparency data is also notable: fears about public backlash appear overstated, suggesting companies could gain reputational advantage by being more open about AI-driven work.
Why should I read this?
Because if you work in marketing and want to keep up, this is the cheat sheet. Tech and startup marketers are already doing the heavy lifting on AI — the report shows what works, where confidence grows, and why you should be getting your team trained and integrating AI into real workflows now, not later.
Author style
Punchy: this is a short, data-driven brief that flags a clear competitive gap. If you care about marketing performance, the details matter — the piece saves you time by showing the behaviours and metrics that separate leaders from laggards.
Source
Source: https://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/tech-marketers-set-the-pace-as-ai-leaders/
