• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, August 28, 2024

Marketers are widely turning to GenAI to help with their creative tasks, judging by 2024 GenAI in Content Creation, a study by Skyword. 

Of the marketers polled, 55% are currently using GenAI and 35% plan to deploy it within the next 12 months. Another 5% will do so within the next year, and 5% have no such plans. 

Over 60% of marketers report “always” or “very frequently” using GenAI to produce social copy, email copy, and blogs or articles,” the study states. “This is likely attributable to GenAI’s relative proficiency when it comes to text-based content generation.” 

Email is second to content creation, while videos and PR materials are least likely to be created using GenAI.

Video “requires a more complex, multi-step AI approach,” the study explains.  

There are many benefits. For instance, 41% of marketers are enjoying significant savings in time and resources. Still, 85% feel human oversight is necessary to maintain brand consistency. 

And marketers face numerous challenges. Those not using GenAI cite:

• Quality control and Brand Consistency — 75%
• Accuracy of information Generated by GenAI — 60%
• Legal and Copyright Issues — 72%
• Data Privacy and Security Risks — 72%
• Lack of Transparency Around When/How GenAI is being used — 71%
• Lack of Central Oversight/Standards — 70%
• Impact on Company Structure/Human Workforce — 63%
• Impact on Creativity and Human Expression — 59%
• Limited Training About How To Use Gen AI — 58%

The picture is different for brands using GenAI:

• Quality Control and Brand Consistency — 62%
• Accuracy of Information Generated by GenAI — 59%
• Legal and Copyright Issues — 58%
• Data Privacy and Security Risks — 52%
• Lack of Central Oversight/Standards — 43%
• Lack of Transparency Around When/How GenAI is Being Used — 40%
• Impact on Creativity and Human Expression — 35%
• Limited Training About How to Use Gen/AI — 32%
• Impact on Company Structure/Human Workforce — 30%

"Ready or not, the research confirms that a large majority of marketing professionals will be leveraging GenAI within the next year,” says Andrew Wheeler, chief executive officer of Skyword. “This rapid shift presents critical challenges for marketing teams at leading brands." 

Skyword surveyed over 200 marketers.