Top 10 AI Driven Marketing Shifts to Watch Closely in 2026
Marketers are closing out the year with a clear view of what will matter most in 2026. AI driven workflows will shift teams toward strategy and creativity, and generative tools will focus on producing substance rather than speed. Martech systems will operate as connected ecosystems, video will become an always on format, and paid media will evolve toward deeper automation. Discovery will move through generative search, engagement will grow conversational, AI will reveal clearer insights, browsers will become agent aware, and trust will define advantage.
What Are AI Agents and How Are They Starting to Help Marketing Professionals
AI agents are beginning to support marketing teams by handling structured, rules based tasks that benefit from consistency and speed. They can draft campaign briefs, surface early audience segments, suggest basic workflows, and automate repetitive operational work. Martech platforms like Salesforce Agentforce, HubSpot Breeze, Adobe Experience Platform Agent Orchestrator, Conversica, and Demandbase Agentbase offer early examples of these capabilities. While agents are not autonomous or strategic, experimentation now helps teams understand where they add value and prepares them for more advanced capabilities ahead.
Marketing Ops in the AI Era: What Actually Scales and What Fails Quietly
Aby Varma joins Michael Hartman as a guest on OpsCast to discuss what actually determines whether AI creates lasting value inside marketing teams. The conversation looks beyond tools and hype to examine how strategy, decision-making, and day-to-day execution shape outcomes. Drawing on real-world examples, the episode explores why some AI initiatives build momentum while others fade quietly, and what leaders can do to move from experimentation toward dependable, business-aligned results.
Around the Digital Campfire: Rebuilding Community for Marketing Leaders in the AI Era
Community is becoming a strategic asset for marketing leaders who want clarity as AI reshapes expectations. In this guest contributor piece, Morgan Doyle from The Home Depot explains why learning with peers helps leaders move faster and avoid missteps. Marketing AI Pulse creates space for honest conversations about what teams are trying, what is working, and where challenges remain. As AI accelerates change, staying connected to a thoughtful community gives leaders an advantage in what they build next.
Marketing AI Pulse: Insights and Inspiration from a Community in Motion
The 6th Marketing AI Pulse event explored how AI is reshaping the way marketing teams build visibility, plan campaigns, and communicate across channels as discovery shifts toward systems that interpret meaning rather than match keywords. With content, data, and intent becoming increasingly connected, attendees gained a clearer view of how to create consistent and trusted experiences that reflect real audience needs. The session highlighted why structure, clarity, credible sources, and relevance guide AI driven discovery and offered practical direction for strengthening modern brand presence.
From SEO to GEO: How LLMs Are Changing Brand Discovery
Large language models are redefining how brands are discovered and trusted online. As AI shifts search behavior from ranked results to contextual answers, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is emerging as the new frontier for marketers. Todd Sawicki, CEO and co-founder of Gumshoe, explains how LLMs interpret and recommend brands, what signals they rely on, and why structured content, credible sources, and relevance matter more than ever. The discussion offers a roadmap for marketers seeking to shape brand perception and visibility in an AI-driven discovery landscape.
Successful AI adoption begins with preparing people for change
Successful AI adoption is less about technology and more about preparing people for meaningful change. This post explores how cultural readiness, transparent leadership, continuous training, and safe experimentation determine whether AI becomes integrated into daily marketing workflows. When teams feel supported and confident, AI shifts from an initiative into a natural part of how the organization learns, operates, and creates value.
AI and the Future of Creativity
Aby Varma, founder of Spark Novus and host of The Marketing AI SparkCast, sits down with Christian Herrity of Accenture Song to explore how AI is revolutionizing storytelling, creative workflows, and talent dynamics—making what once took months possible in days through AI-empowered content creation.