AI adoption? High. Bottom-line impact? A different story. |
Let’s talk about the spiciest topic on the internet and arguably the biggest change to come for sales and marketing over the past few years: artificial intelligence.
Last week, our sales expert Bianca Caballero wrote about progressing from AI adoption to AI enablement. This week, I want to take that a little further and talk about the future of the AI economy for sales and marketers. Post-AI hype and adoption era, what’s next for sales and marketing teams?
In the past few months, some critics have been calling AI less a technological revolution than an economic bubble waiting to burst, pointing out that it hasn’t really delivered to corporations the value it promised three years ago.
A McKinsey report even found that 80% of companies using AI have yet to find any bottom-line impact. At most, only 4% of sales and marketing teams say AI has decreased costs by more than 20%. |
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AI adoption in sales and marketing is high. Revenue impact is another story. (Source: McKinsey)
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The data is clear: AI adoption is strong across sales and marketing teams. But whether or not it’s been effective is a slightly different story. Being a marketer, I’ve been experimenting with AI since at least late 2022, and I’ll be honest: It’s only had a limited effect on my efficiency so far. Meanwhile, audiences are increasingly growing fatigued of “AI everything,” and buyers are realizing that AI isn’t going to solve every problem. This week, I want to investigate what AI’s future holds, and how sales and marketing teams can cope, whether the AI bubble pops entirely or just deflates. |
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When the AI hype settles, trust lives on |
We marketers were probably some of the first teams to adopt AI. We were also some of the first people (especially content marketers) to experience how Google’s AI adoption directly impacted brand visibility, prioritizing AI Overviews over websites. But here’s the truth: Whether or not the AI bubble bursts, AI tools will still stick around. They’ll still be in the apps and software we use. We’ll never go back to a time before AI. And when the hype is over and the dust settles, all that’s left will be how buyers remember and trust brands. Now that the AI “wow factor” is waning, buyers are hungry for real experience and real people they can trust.
Speaking on The Neuron podcast, SEO expert Mark Williams-Cook said AI is creating a “leaky bucket” problem in online search — aka an overflow of problems caused by false information “hallucinated” by LLM-driven systems like AI Overviews. We’re already seeing it happen: false information being referenced by another chatbot, and another, and so on. And when that happens, people will be looking for “little gems of human knowledge.” |
As the AI noise grows, storytelling becomes the differentiator. (Source: Coffee Bytes) |
What does this mean for marketers? One, that it’s more important than ever to reinvest in human expertise. Real thought leadership that shows judgment and perspective, not just keyword-optimized content.
It’s also a good time to build “AI guardrails” for content. Before publishing anything, do a content integrity check: Is the content you’re publishing genuinely useful and valuable? Does it provide real insight and perspective that people will gain something from?
And finally, reevaluate what AI tools are actually useful to your process. Is your current AI stack actually saving time or just adding extra steps? Does it make content or conversations more meaningful? Does it enhance the customer experience — or just distance you from it? The future of AI in marketing and sales isn’t about chasing every tool. It’s about using it to scale human intelligence, not replace it. |
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Efficiency + empathy = customer success |
While AI has yet to prove its impact on company bottom lines, 54% of professionals say it’s already improved customer experience through better, more consistent targeting and smarter personalization.
But that’s still something to take with a grain of salt. According to this Redditor in sales, clients’ number one complaint about customer experiences is, “I just can’t get a hold of someone.”
In my view, there’s plenty of truth in both. AI has improved conversions and reduced deal cycles, but it’s also a point of annoyance for prospects who can tell when an email is written and optimized to death by ChatGPT. And nothing kills a prospect faster than a generic, unsympathetic point of contact.
The key now is in finding that balance for using AI that supports your team’s productivity while keeping your emotional intelligence front and center. Maybe using ChatGPT to write cold email drafts hasn’t been producing great results, but many sales leaders have found AI useful for forecasting deal probabilities or as virtual SDRs to enable 24/7 responses that you can follow up on. |
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Submissions have been edited for length & clarity |
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“I see the AI bubble popping as more of an impact on the stock market than the go-to-market. People are going to continue to find ways to use AI. People didn't stop using the internet when the dot-com bubble burst. There will be way fewer options, and innovation may slow a bit, but sales and marketing teams need to continue to adopt this tech.”
Zach Jones, CRO at TechnologyAdvice |
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AI tools will still stick around, and what comes next will likely be less an “AI bubble burst” than an “AI vibe shift.” Now that the gold rush is over, it’s time for a reevaluation. Sit down with your team and evaluate which tools are actually helping eliminate admin (not empathy), and which can be taken out of your tech stack. Visualize a clear workflow of where AI fits in your process that everyone understands and agrees on. |
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Marketing sees AI as a multiplier — a way to hit KPIs and keep the pipeline full. Sales sees it as noise, flooding inboxes with sameness and making it harder to cut through. When both teams chase automation without alignment, they create a false sense of productivity while the buyer experience quietly deteriorates. |
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→ Translation: If the AI bubble bursts, it won’t just be because of market hype. It’ll be because too many teams prioritized speed over substance. The winners will be the ones who use AI strategically, blending efficiency with empathy. Before hitting “generate,” ask: |
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Does this help a buyer make a better decision?
- Does it sound like us — or everyone else?
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AI should enhance your voice, not replace it. When authenticity leads and automation follows, you’ll outlast any bubble. |
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Audrey has built marketing strategies for startups, small businesses, and agencies—covering everything from websites to social media. She writes about practical marketing tactics for Fit Small Business, Marketing Interactive, and more, helping brands grow their online presence.
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