Marianne Boulos* and Marion Sangle-Ferriere
Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the digital marketing industry. However, concerns have been raised about the impact of AI on the human touch; defined as the personal connection with customers through empathy, support, and community building; and its potential implications for employment.
Objective: This thesis explores the intersection of AI and digital marketing and investigates the balance between automation and the human touch in this industry. The study aims to assess the effects of AI on productivity, cost, and quality in digital marketing.
Methods: To achieve this, a mixed-method approach is used to gather data from industry practitioners and experts. The study analyzes the data to identify the benefits and drawbacks of AI and its impact on various aspects of digital marketing. In addition, the research also examines the potential implications for employment. It identifies potential ethical concerns and implications for employment, including the need for re-skilling and up-skilling.
Results: The findings indicate that AI integration in digital marketing is indeed altering the industry's workforce landscape, with further findings showing the evolution of skill requirements and the emergence of new AI-related job roles. Roles that were found to be most affected by AI include copywriters, jobs involving repetitive tasks, coding and software engineering positions, and creative roles such as graphic designers and creative departments. However, many challenges and limitations of Automation and AI were found: accuracy and reliability of AI responses, quality concerns, lack of creativity and warmth, and “hallucination” particularly when faced with complex questions. Additionally, the setup process for AI and automation tools was described as challenging and potentially frustrating. Thus, the need to balance between AI and the human touch: Humans will be the brains that orchestrate the results. When it comes to productivity, AI and automation were perceived as productivity boosters in general, but they were also found to be counterproductive many times. Further, younger individuals were more inclined to perceive AI as a tool for enhancing their ability to tackle substantial challenges in their roles. When it comes to costs, the findings showed that AI tools are cheaper than relying solely on human resources for certain tasks. As for policymaking, the perspectives were multifaceted with it seen as a very difficult subject to tackle. Overall, this thesis provides insights into the balance between automation and the human touch in digital marketing and its implications for employment.
Conclusion: These research areas provide a comprehensive roadmap for future investigations, helping to advance the understanding of AI and automation complex relationship with digital marketing while addressing critical gaps and emerging concerns in the field.
Published Date: 2025-02-19; Received Date: 2024-10-14
