New research shows there is a significant gap between AI knowledge and adoption of the new technology. A study conducted by Omnicom Media Group agency PHD Worldwide shows that there are significant gaps in desire vs adoption and perceived vs actual AI knowledge; as well as conflicting expectations around the impact of AI.

The desire to adopt AI significantly outpaces utilization levels with 35 percent of client-side marketers and 36 percent of agency marketers feeling generative AI should be utilized to a high or extremely high extent. Meanwhile, only 27 percent of client-side marketers and 26 percent of agency marketers are currently using AI at this level.

"As marketing stakeholders look for clarity in an AI information landscape that seems to get more cluttered and confusing every day, PHD wanted to level-set the conversation to real-world perspectives and expectations," said PHD Worldwide chief strategy officer Mark Holden. "With this understanding, we can better help our clients eliminate the barriers to AI adoption in their marketing operations and strategies, enabling them to effectively leverage AI to outpace, outthink and outgrow their competitors."

Just 42 percent of agency and client-side marketers feel their generative AI knowledge is advanced, however, quiz scores showed their perceived knowledge and actual knowledge differed greatly. Only 13.7 percent of respondents scored 2 or more out of 5 on a generative AI quiz. 

The study found that agencies and client-side marketers are equally focused on AI’s potential innovations, with 48 percent of client-side marketers prioritizing streamlining repetitive tasks and freeing up resources, compared with 39 percent of agency marketers. Additionally, client-side marketers were more concerned about the lack of technical expertise in generative AI adoption than agency marketers.

"While AI technologies are likely to bring about vast changes in marketing functions through unparalleled levels of innovation, today we are seeing a clear disjoint between expectations and reality,” said WARC advisory director Katie Sterling. “Significant knowledge gaps will have to be closed before AI can fulfil its potential, despite the current 'gold rush' of AI investment,” she said.