AI at Work: The Future of Marketing Jobs
Artificial intelligence’s influence on the marketing function is significant. As companies rapidly adopt AI tools to improve efficiency, job responsibilities are shifting.
Tasks that once introduced new graduates to the field are increasingly automated, but these changes are also opening doors for students to step into more creative, strategic, and meaningful work earlier in their careers.
Marketing Roles Most Affected by AI
Companies frequently describe their layoffs as “cultural shifts” or “organizational realignments,” but technology is often a major part of the story. Businesses like Amazon, Nestlé, Salesforce, and UPS have acknowledged that AI and machine learning contribute to changes in staffing needs. In the marketing sector, this has intensified pressure on white collar roles related to content development, planning, research, and data analysis. Now, many of those tasks can be completed by AI tools at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time.
Certain marketing jobs are being reshaped faster than others. Search engine optimization, introduced in Chapter 13 on Digital Marketing and Social Media, has long been centered on understanding how Google ranks search results. As AI chatbots and generative search tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini grow in popularity, the conversation is shifting toward generative engine optimization, or GEO. Rather than eliminating opportunity, this shift creates a new area of expertise for marketers who can understand how these tools surface information. Marketing analytics is also transforming, but in a different way. AI systems now improve attribution models and performance measurement, giving companies clearer insights than before. This offers greater clarity for decision makers, though it also reduces the need for people to handle data processing manually.
Social media management is also changing. Scheduling posts, running basic A/B tests, and responding to trends can now be handled by AI platforms that operate around the clock. Creative production is another area experiencing disruption. Many routine writing tasks, including brainstorming hundreds of lines of copy, are now produced by AI. Large brands have even begun experimenting with AI-generated advertising, such as Coca Cola’s AI-driven holiday campaigns.
Entry Level Marketing Roles
One of the most significant effects of AI appears in entry-level hiring. Some firms have attempted to replace entry-level employees with AI-powered tools. However, there is a long-term problem with this strategy. Without entry-level employees learning the fundamentals today, there will be a reduced mid-level and senior talent pool available five to ten years from now.
Educators have responded by redesigning marketing and advertising programs. Universities are working together to teach students not only how to use AI tools but also how to think critically about when and why to use them. New programs focus on creativity, communication, teamwork, and idea selling, which remain areas where humans outperform machines. For example, the University of Colorado Boulder launched a Master of Science degree in AI. For business executives, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University offers a two-month course called Digital Marketing Strategies: Data, Automation, AI & Analytics.
Entry-level employees today might be expected to know how to use AI to their advantage. The skills that now set them apart likely involve creativity and problem solving. Agency leaders increasingly look for candidates who can think strategically, experiment with emerging technologies, and approach challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset. Entry-level, tech-minded employees are also becoming important internal trainers, helping established colleagues understand and integrate AI into daily workflows.
AI or Normal Economic Cycles?
The impact of AI on employment is real, but it can be difficult to separate technology-driven changes from normal economic cycles. Some data suggests that certain groups, such as recent graduates and administrative workers, face higher unemployment risk in occupations closely tied to AI. Other research shows that many broader tech layoffs follow typical patterns of hiring growth and contraction.
Economists note that large firms like Amazon are unusual because they are both creators and users of AI. Their scale allows them to automate tasks more quickly than other companies. Even so, part of their downsizing reflects earlier expansion. This means that understanding AI’s labor impact requires looking at both economic conditions and technological capability. The future will likely involve a reallocation of tasks rather than a simple increase or decrease in total jobs.
Preparing for a Marketing Career in the AI Age
For students preparing to enter the field, the path forward involves building skills that AI cannot easily replace. These include creativity, storytelling, curiosity, teamwork, and the ability to persuade and communicate. The broader goal is to use AI to enhance ideas rather than to replace human judgment. The industry still needs new talent. AI can support marketing teams, but it cannot sustain the future pipeline of middle managers. Entry-level employees are important for learning, experimenting, and shaping how AI will be used in the years to come.
In the Classroom
This article can be used to discuss customer-driven marketing (Chapter 11: Customer-Driven Marketing) and levels of management (Chapter 6: The Nature of Management).
Discussion Questions
- How has AI changed the types of marketing tasks that companies need humans to perform?
- Why are entry-level marketing roles declining, and what risks does this create for the future talent pipeline?
- In what ways are universities and agencies adapting their training approaches to prepare young professionals for an AI-driven industry?
This article was developed with the support of Kelsey Reddick for and under the direction of O.C. Ferrell, Linda Ferrell, and Geoff Hirt.
Sources
Constantine von Hoffman, "AI Threatens Entry-Level Marketing Jobs—and the Future Talent Pipeline," MarTech, September 8, 2025, https://martech.org/ai-threatens-entry-level-marketing-jobs-and-the-future-talent-pipeline/
Danielle Kaye, "The AI Jobs Are Here—Or Are They?" BBC, October 28, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyk7zg0gzvo
Sabrina Sanchez, "AI Is Reshaping Entry-Level Roles—How Agencies and Schools Are Retooling," AdAge, November 7, 2025, https://adage.com/ad-age-video-podcast/insider/aa-ai-skills-required-entry-level-marketing-jobs/
Thomas Barta, "What Amazon's 14,000 Layoffs Reveal about AI's Grip on Marketing," Marketing Week, November 11, 2025, https://www.marketingweek.com/amazon-layoffs-ai/
Linda Ferrell is the Roth Family Professor of Marketing and Business Ethics in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, Auburn University. She was formerly Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Business Ethics at Belmont University. She completed her Ph.D. in business administration, with a concentration in management, at the University of Memphis. She has taught at the University of Tampa, Colorado State University, University of Northern Colorado, University of Memphis, University of Wyoming, and the University of New Mexico. She has also team-taught classes at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand.
