Feature
The Gist
- High interest in generative AI. A Sitecore survey reveales 80% of respondents are experimenting with generative AI, like ChatGPT, to improve their digital customer experience.
- Concerns around investment. The rapid pace of generative AI development has resulted in 72% of organizations holding off on full investment, mainly due to evolving legal and regulatory concerns about data privacy and copyright.
- Positive impact on jobs and digital customer experience. Despite broader concerns about AI replacing jobs, 82% of respondents believe AI will lead to the creation of new jobs, and 97% think AI will help fill existing skills gaps.
The introduction of ChatGPT has shone a spotlight on the potential impact of generative AI on practically everything we do. It’s triggered an avalanche of media speculation and debate, ranging from the highly utopian to the positively dystopian.
Meanwhile, other perspectives have focused on the more immediate impact in specific areas, with digital customer experience one of those spaces that is clearly going to be impacted by generative AI in major ways.
Recently I looked at six ways that ChatGPT and other similar services will change digital customer experience. Some of my conclusions are also reflected in responses to a fascinating survey conducted by Sitecore that looks at how AI will impact the world of digital marketing and customer experience. Involving responses given by March 2023 by over 400 marketing professionals in the US, these give an interesting picture of how ChatGPT is starting to influence investment plans.
Here are seven takeaways from the Sitecore survey. Note that it's also possible to download the wider results of the survey which go into more detail; this post is based on those more detailed responses.
1. Most Marketing Teams Are Experimenting With Generative AI
The levels of interest in generative AI and in particular the use of ChatGPT have been remarkable, including amongst those involved in digital customer experience. Some teams will have already been paying for AI products like Jasper or DALL-E 2, with many others trying the free version of ChatGPT.
This is confirmed by responses to the Sitecore survey, with 80% of respondents already trying generative AI and looking for ways to incorporate it into their long-term strategy. Only 3% had tried generative AI and decided it was not for them, while 17% had not yet experimented.
Related Article: Where Are Marketers on the Generative AI Adoption Curve?
2. Teams Are Investing in Generative AI
The very high levels of interest in the power of generative AI are also confirmed by investment plans. The Sitecore survey suggests that 74% are currently considering or investing in AI technologies that support marketing and customer experience functions, with a further 23% having plans to do so.
This means that only 3% of digital marketing teams have no plans to invest; it is clear that generative AI will become a central component of products that help to deliver digital customer experience.
3. Wait and See as Generative AI Evolves
However, developments in generative AI are extremely rapid. New products that use the ChatGPT API are emerging, while existing products are introducing new capabilities. Meanwhile the regulatory and legal landscape relating to elements such as data privacy and copyright are still emerging. We are still in a phase of experimentation.
One impact of this is that despite the current focus and momentum of generative AI, many teams may be holding off on the full extent of investment. The survey from Sitecore suggests that 72% of organizations believe that it is too early to invest in “generative AI tech." Additionally, 76% acknowledge they have to constantly change their budget plans to “address new trends in technology."
Related Article: OpenAI Faces Lawsuit Over Stealing Millions of Personal Consumer Data
4. Concerns About Generative AI Are Operational
Since ChatGPT was unleashed there has been a lot of debate about the risks of generative AI, both specifically relating to areas such as data privacy, but also the broader impact on jobs, society and even humanity.
However, when marketers were asked what “scares” them the most about investing in AI technologies, most concerns are operationally focused. Just under half (45%) of respondents to the Sitecore survey said that the “significant cost of implementation it may carry” was their main area of concern, while 41% were worried about “legal vulnerabilities and data privacy concerns.” Just over a quarter (26%) were also concerned about “constantly playing catch-up on modernization.”
5. Marketers Optimistic Generative AI Will Create More Jobs, Fill Skills Gaps
There is a lot of doom and gloom about the broader potential negative impact that AI will have on jobs and careers, but digital marketing teams are more optimistic, at least for the time being. On the list of risks of AI that “scare” digital marketing teams, only 19% indicated that they were worried if their job was at risk, while a further 17% were worried that they didn’t have the right staff or skills to manage AI.
When asked more specifically about the impact of AI on jobs, 82% believe that it will lead to more or new jobs, in particular specialist roles such as a “marketing AI specialist” (78%) and a “generative AI specialist" (71%). Respondents were also optimistic AI would create more jobs around content management, content creation and graphic design, as well as establishing the need for an AI privacy officer. Additionally, 97% believe AI will plug skills gaps within the team, particularly analytical and technical skills.
Related Article: 5 AI Jobs Poised to Change Marketing Landscape
6. Generative AI Trumps the Metaverse as an Area of Investment
As well as ChatGPT, another future tech area relating to digital customer experience that has received significant media coverage is the metaverse. But it seems generative AI has stolen some of the metaverse’s thunder, emerging now as a far greater investment priority. When the Sitecore survey asked respondents to rank the priorities for investment, 79% indicated AI as a priority, compared to only 36% indicating the metaverse as a priority investment.
The Sitecore survey also suggests that plans to invest in generative AI may divert funds that were originally intended for the metaverse. When asked which area they might have to remove budget from to invest in generative AI, the top answer was the “metaverse” with 38%. However other responses such as “field marketing” were not far behind with 37%.
7. Generative AI Will Be Beneficial to Digital Customer Experience
Generative AI is a highly disruptive technology that will have significant impact, but most teams believe it will be beneficial and improve digital customer experience. Overall, 78% of teams believe it will allow them to get “closer” to their “desired customer experience” with only 7% worried that it might have the opposite effect and make them more “distant.”
When asked in more detail how it will get them closer, teams mentioned the ability to create more personalized content (75%), a better understanding of customer needs (74%) and the ability to provide a stream of relevant content (67%). Others felt it would improve creativity and streamline back operations.
Conclusion: Marketers Optimistic in a Fluid Space
Overall, the Sitecore survey suggests that marketing professionals in the US are generally optimistic about the power of generative AI to improve customer experience and create jobs. The vast majority are experimenting and it will be a major area for investment.
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However, it is also a very fast moving area. This is creating some logistical issues — including waiting for the right moment to invest — and it is possible we may see opinions go in a different direction if experiences of generative AI don’t live up to the hype.
