Why AI isn’t your marketing team.

There’s a growing belief that most jobs can, or will, be replaced by AI.

If you’re not at least a little nervous about that, I’d love to know what you’re taking.

The rest of us can’t go a day without reading how AI is changing everything. And while automation and deep tech can be incredible productivity boosters - powerful copilots to our creative and analytical minds - we’ve reached a point where the economic and long-term consequences of over-reliance on technology could be severe if we forget the most important part of any business: people.

You know the saying, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should”? It fits this debate perfectly.

Think of it like that pair of jeans you keep hoping to fit into again. Sure, you can squeeze in, but should you? The same goes for automation. Yes, technology has allowed us to potentially replace more and more jobs with AI, but that doesn’t mean we should.

Replacing repetitive, low-risk, low-creativity tasks? Fine. In fact, the sooner we can figure out a laundry solution, the better.

But replacing high-impact, strategic, human-centered work - the kind that requires judgment, empathy, and real understanding? That’s where we cross the line from innovation into ignorance.

The Leadership Dilemma

Leaders today face relentless pressure to deliver financial results, boost productivity, and expand margins. Many turn to automation as the magic pill, a quick, seemingly elegant solution to calm anxious boards, impress investors, and meet those aggressive growth targets. And sure, it might work… for a quarter or two.

We all know that growth targets should be grounded in reason and reality, and yet somehow this never happens. In finance 101, we learn to base forecasts on historical data; we don’t conjure numbers from thin air to satisfy a spreadsheet. Yet in the relentless pursuit of “efficiency,” too many leaders, especially CMOs chasing short-term optics and to justify lagging sales numbers, are outsourcing their thinking (and teams) to AI as though this quick fix will magically solve pipeline deficits.

For those of us who know the playbook, these short-term optics rarely, if ever, translate to sustainable growth. And then the cycle starts over - the leadership team churns, another CEO comes in to set their new vision, the CMO is let go or downgraded, and marketing is back to square one.

Oh, and a quick PSA here for those who need to hear it: layoffs and automation disguised as “cost reduction” are not substitutes for organic growth. You’ll still have to chip away at that unhinged, triple-digit growth target you eagerly signed up for. Good luck hitting that without talent on the team.

Here’s the harsh reality, snarky opinions aside: this isn’t strategy. It’s abdication disguised as innovation.

It’s not leadership; it’s the quiet surrender of responsibility. And let’s be honest - when you replace people with prompts to pad margins or impress the board, that’s not visionary. That’s greed, plain and simple.

When AI Runs Your Marketing Team

When decision-making and critical thought have been outsourced to AI, this is a glaring red flag. It is also probably why many marketing leaders have trouble communicating and evangelizing the team’s value within the broader GTM team construct, and it is the first team to get cut when numbers aren’t met.

I once worked with a company that outsourced most of its product marketing work to ChatGPT. On paper, it looked like a time-saver. The team was confident this was a good move, but upon taking a closer look under the hood and analyzing the campaign content and performance, the cracks were visible, and the team suffered. In practice, it gutted both performance and morale. The work lost its edge, differentiation was gone, and some of the people lost their purpose.

Adding insult to injury, the performance data told the same story. The content fell flat - weak, indistinct, and forgettable. Buzzwords like “streamline,” “automate,” and “integrate” echoed on repeat, masking the fact that the messaging could’ve belonged to anyone. To make matters worse, the company’s fragmented portfolio left it trying to be everything to everyone - positioning itself as a one-stop shop for nearly ten entirely different buyer types - and, in the process, speaking meaningfully to none.

The results spoke for themselves: conversion rates hit record lows, email open rates fell below 5%, and the pipeline had all but flatlined year over year.

It was a textbook example of how a weak grasp of marketing fundamentals can quietly erode a go-to-market engine—crippling performance, alignment, and ultimately, revenue.

AI can generate words, but it can’t grasp your audience, decode nuanced positioning, or bring cohesion to a fragmented product portfolio.

It can generate copy. But it can’t inspire trust, empathy, or belief. And in B2B sales, where relationships and credibility drive revenue, that’s not just a miss, but outsourcing key GTM functions to AI is a tremendous business risk.

Ethics in Leadership and The Race to Zero

While OKRs and KPIs are essential, they’re only part of the story. The human element - the meaning, purpose, and connection behind the work- is what truly drives impact. It’s worth pausing to consider why we do what we do, who we serve, and how our work fits into the larger picture. Automating everything in the name of efficiency might look productive on paper, but in reality, it’s a zero-sum game.

Before you automate away an entire team function in the name of boosting EBITDA—a non-GAAP metric that excludes key expenses and doesn’t reflect a company’s true financial performance, FYI—pause and ask yourself: what’s the real cost of cutting people out of the process? Here are some helpful prompts for strategic discussions when analyzing AI initiatives and/or optimization measures:

• What’s the real cost of doing this?

• Are our teams AI literate? If not, what are we as leaders going to do about it?

• How are we helping our teams leverage AI, and is there equal access?

• If automating out functions, what’s the impact on quality, trust, and brand reputation?

• What’s the impact on internal stakeholder alignment and [marketing’s] value to the company?

• What does our stance say about our values as leaders?

• How does this align with our company values and mission?

True leadership is about amplifying human potential: coaching, developing, and empowering people to do their best work, and giving them the tools and resources to do so. Leaders who choose instead to automate or optimize away their teams aren’t heroes; they’re abandoning responsibility and betraying the very values leadership is built on.

By now, we should realize that AI can elevate human creativity and thinking, but it will never replace them.

Be a Multiplier, Not a Diminisher

We’re at a crossroads. Interest rates and inflation remain high, global unrest and political division continue to rise, technology is evolving faster than most can comprehend, and layoffs have become disturbingly routine. Now, more than ever, we need strong, principled leadership.

As leaders, we face a choice: use AI to amplify human potential or to replace it. One path builds stronger teams, trusted brands, and resilient businesses. The other erodes the very foundations of great marketing and leadership: humanity, connection, and community.

Being a multiplier means investing in people, creating jobs, providing context, and giving teams the tools and clarity to do their best work. It’s about seeing AI as an accelerator for human brilliance, not a shortcut for lazy leadership. Multipliers build trust, loyalty, and capability. They create environments where creativity thrives and innovation compounds.

Diminishers, on the other hand, see people as line items. They confuse automation for advancement and efficiency for excellence. In chasing speed and their next bonus, they sacrifice soul and integrity.

Before you replace your team with prompts, another GPT, or the latest agentic AI, remember this: technology can accelerate progress, but only people can create purpose.