A new WFA (World Federation of Advertisers) survey finds that a growing number of marketing procurement experts worry that advancements in AI technology could eliminate their jobs. 

The percentage who agreed that artificial intelligence (AI) could replace their role has risen from 13% (in a similar survey done late last year) to 32% today.  

That said, no one surveyed in the new poll said AI/GenAI had yet led to a reduction in the size of their procurement teams. 

The strong optimism around GenAI’s impact on marketing procurement found by last year’s poll appears to be waning somewhat.   

The proportion of respondents who are "very positive" about GenAI’s impact on their role has declined from 31% to 23% in the current survey, completed in August.  

It’s not precisely clear what’s driving that changing viewpoint but Laura Forcetti, WFA's director, marketing Asia Pacific, and global sourcing, asserts that “mastering the tools is one challenge – but integrating them end-to-end to deliver results is an entirely different and more demanding task.”   

Another possible explanation, she surmises is that “many are realizing that just as GenAI is changing roles in many other areas of marketing and the wider economy, the same could happen with marketing procurement.” 

Most of those polled acknowledged they still have a lot to learn about the technology, with 81% describing themselves as tactical or beginners in the space and 16% self-identifying as intermediate operators. Just 4% described themselves as advanced.  

Respondents cited a wide range of GenAI applications for procurement, including in RFPs, negotiations, and external market assessment. Other potential uses include compliance and risk mitigation, automating certain procurement processes and improving workflows.  

The study also found that many procurement teams are now seeing efficiencies being passed to their organization from agencies using AI/GenAI on their brands’ behalf.  

Twenty-two percent said these benefits have been clear for "some time," while 32% report they are beginning to see such benefits, such as faster processes, testing or actual content delivery.  

How compensation models are impacted by AI remains to be seen. Twenty percent said they have started to evolve some of their remuneration models, and another 61% report planning to do so. 

Fifty-four marketing procurement executives from WFA member companies were polled for the study. Their companies collectively spend close to $100 billion on marketing annually. The full report is available for WFA members only.