Marketing and Sales Leaders Want More Generative AI in Their Work [Chart]

Marketing and sales leaders are feeling cautious enthusiasm about deploying generative AI within their organizations, according to a McKinsey study. The consultant group found that respondents saw moderate potential value across potential applications in areas like lead generation, campaign optimization, and personalized outreach. That said, significant gaps remain between interest and implementation, as can be seen in the chart above.

The survey came back with a whopping 90% of respondents saying they believe their teams should utilize generative AI and machine learning techniques often or very often. This aligns with estimates that marketing and sales functions stand to gain the most economic value from deploying AI systems. The numbers in the chart point to ongoing interest in applying generative AI more often than is currently done. That said, a full 60% said their organizations rarely or never do this. Recognizing this potential may be why 85% said they rarely or never use generative AI. It demonstrates the disconnect between eagerness to adopt AI and real-world rollout.

Survey participants were most excited about employing generative AI during the early stages of the customer journey. Lead identification, marketing optimization, and personalized outreach hold the most appeal compared to other use cases. The appeal stems from capabilities like processing vast datasets to identify high-potential leads, rapidly generating tailored messaging and creative content, and automating communication at scale. As seen in data gathered by McKinsey and other researchers, the perceived economic impact of generative AI is enormous, and a rapidly growing number of companies are eager to pursue the technology in any form that might benefit them.

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