report

The State of AI in Marketing 2026

The experiment is over and the operational era has begun. Here are the benchmarks, hard truths, and signals defining the next era of AI in marketing.

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About the
research

To understand what real AI maturity looks like, Jasper surveyed 1,400 marketers across industries, company sizes, and seniority levels. If last year was about adopting AI, then this year is all about operationalizing it.

Our 2nd annual State of AI in Marketing report goes beyond surface-level adoption to examine how AI is actually being embedded into marketing, from content production
and governance to measurement, roles, and organizational design.

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AI is everywhere.
And it's working.

AI in marketing is no longer optional. It’s fully embedded in how work gets done.

This year, 91% of marketers report actively using AI in their work, up from 63% last year. As AI becomes part of daily workflows, teams are seeing real productivity gains.

50%

are bringing work to market faster.

75%

of AI users report higher job satisfaction.

45%

have lowered operating costs.

002

The ROI is real.
But proving it
now is harder.

As AI moves from experimentation into core marketing operations, expectations have fundamentally changed.

Last year, 49% of marketers said they could prove AI ROI. Today, only 41% can—not because AI is delivering less value, but because productivity gains alone are no longer sufficient. Leadership now expects AI investments to show up in measurable business outcomes.

For teams that have adapted their measurement approach, the results are clear: 60% report returns of 2–3× or higher.

“Can you measure the ROI
of your AI investments?”

Bar graph comparing Yes and No responses in 2025 and 2026, with 49% Yes and 51% No in 2025, and 41% Yes and 59% No in 2026.

003

Scale is where pressure
really shows up.

Last year, concerns centered on budgets, AI skills, and leadership commitment. In 2026, the biggest constraints now sit inside the operating model.

The top scaling challenges include:

Challenge #1
Brand, legal, and compliance reviews
Challenge #1
Lack of output quality
Challenge #3
Data and privacy risks
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004

Marketing teams are
evolving for the  AI  era.

As Al shifts from optional to mandatory, marketing roles and structures are changing. 65% of marketing teams now have designated Al roles, often focused on Al operations, workflows, or strategy.

1/3

marketers have added Al strategy, policies, and governance to their existing roles.

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What
best-in-class
looks like

The most advanced marketing organizations are way beyond piloting, and are operationalizing AI at scale. We found that the most advanced marketing organizations share 6 defining traits that set them apart, including:

001
Content as a system
002
Embedded governance that scales
003
Clear ownership and accountability
002
Stronger ROI confidence
005
A long-term operating mindset
006
Marketing-specific tools and workflows

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Explore how
marketers are
scaling AI today

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Demographics

Who we surveyed
CMO (Head
of Marketing)
20%
Content Marketing
13%
Product Marketing
13%
Demand, Performance, or Growth Marketing
5%
Brand & Creative
9%
Event, Partner, or Regional Marketing
4%
Communications & Social Media
10%
Marketing Operations
13%
Other - Marketing
4%
C-Level
25%
SVP
4%
VP
6%
Director
19%
Manager
35%
Individual contributor
11%
< 10
32%
11-25
17%
26-100
20%
101-500
5%
501-1,000
9%
> 1000
4%
$1M - $50M
42%
$50M - $100M
20%
$100M - $500M
17%
$500M - $1B
9%
$1B - $10B
8%
> $10B
4%
Technology
18%
Professional Services
17%
Financial Services
10%
Retail/Consumer Goods/eCommerce
25%
Life Sciences
3%
Media and Communications
13%
Other
14%