AI adoption gap found between executives and entry-level marketers

The level of your AI adoption may have something to do with your salary and role, and maybe the size of your company. Two recent studies point to gaps in AI adoption existing within organizations, based on role and the size of the organization.

Role gap. More marketing executives say they’re adopting AI tools than their entry-level colleagues.

Sixty-one percent of marketing executives said they’re using AI tools weekly in their work, while 42% of entry-level marketers say the same, according to a joint study by Lightricks and the American Marketing Association (AMA).

Also, 48% of executives rate AI as important to their role, while 34% of entry-level marketers agree with this rating.

At this early stage in AI adoption, the vast majority of marketers at all levels are reluctant to hand the reins over to AI-powered processes. But within this question, there is also a gap by role. Twenty-four percent of marketers say they want AI “in the driver’s seat,” while only 5% of entry-level marketers say this.

Furthermore, 55% percent of executives trust AI tools to enhance creativity. Only 33% of entry-level marketers agree.

Company size. A modest though notable edge goes to large businesses adopting AI. 

Seventy-five percent of marketers at large businesses reported receiving AI training, while  65% of marketers at medium-sized businesses said the same, according to a recent study by Adobe.

The best intentions. AI adoption rose from 73% in 2023 to 90% in 2024, according to the AMA study.

Another recent study found 95% of marketers plan to increase AI deployment next year.

Dig deeper: Marketers link AI to revenue growth and plan to increase 2025 investments

This study, by Invoca, showed a similar divergence according to company size. Sixty percent of marketers at big companies said they were AI experts, compared to 40% at companies with under 1,000 employees.

Why we care. It’s interesting to see AI adoption reinforce two presumptions about organizations. First, big companies have more resources to experiment with technology and gain a competitive edge. The second is that leaders in an organization lead. It will be very interesting to see if these gaps close in the coming year. As adoption becomes more entrenched — as marketers’ 2025 intentions suggest — they’re likely to.

More about the Adobe study can be found here. And the Lightricks/AMA study is here.