One-Third of B2B Marketers Lack Confidence in Knowledge of AI

Although artificial intelligence (AI) has its benefits, new research suggests that B2B marketers are still unclear of these advantages and how they can positively impact their strategies.

EverString and Heinz Marketing recently conducted “The State of Artificial Intelligence in B2B Marketing” report, and discovered that 32 percent of marketers are not at all confident in their knowledge of AI in the context of marketing technology. About 54 percent are only “somewhat confident” in their knowledge of AI; 12 percent indicated they are “very confident” However, half (49 percent) of respondents revealed AI does not currently play a role in their marketing strategy.

Despite the fact that they are not utilizing AI, B2B marketers have expectations for what it could potentially help them achieve. Most marketers (59 percent) believe AI could help them identify prospective customers. About 52.9 percent believe that AI could one day help them improve marketing effectiveness in driving revenue, while 41.4 percent think it could help them identify specific account opportunities.

Top Performing Marketers Still Steer Clear of AI

Previous research has honed in on marketers’ slow adoption of AI as a solution. Econsultancy and Adobe published the “Digital Intelligence Briefing: 2018 Digital Trends” report and found that 43 percent of top-performing companies do not have plans to use AI within the next 12 months. Only 29 percent of top performers said they intend to use it.

“The slow adoption could be put down to confusion or lack of knowledge around AI’s applications, amid widespread concerns over the societal impact of automation in general,” wrote the authors of the report.

Most agency respondents (61 percent) stated that they are not planning to use AI because they have a lack of knowledge on how they can use it.