Adobe and LinkedIn launch free AI training for marketers

Adobe and LinkedIn are introducing a free AI training program for marketers as employers ask for those skills far more often than workers list them. Fortune reported that the effort comes as marketing roles face heavy exposure to AI tools that can speed up research, creative production and campaign work.

The program, called AI Essentials for Marketers, will be available on LinkedIn Learning, according to Fortune. It is built around four role-based tracks: digital marketing, content and creative, social and communications, and data and analytics.

Each learning path is designed to take two to three hours, Fortune reported. Jessica Jensen, LinkedIn’s chief marketing officer, told Fortune the courses are meant to teach AI skills tied to audience segmentation, message testing, campaign development, creative work and return-on-investment analysis.

A widening skills gap

LinkedIn data cited by Fortune shows job posts seeking AI literacy rose 113% from a year earlier. By contrast, Fortune reported that 4% of marketing professionals worldwide have added AI skills to their LinkedIn profiles.

Rachel Thornton, Adobe’s chief marketing officer for enterprise, told Fortune that many marketers understand AI is changing the field but are still working out how to use it in daily work. Thornton, who has held leadership roles at Amazon, Salesforce, Cisco and Microsoft, said AI is widespread, while useful ways to learn it remain hard to find.

Fortune reported that Adobe and LinkedIn are pitching the courses as a way to close that mismatch rather than treat AI as a replacement for marketing workers. Jensen told Fortune that marketers need to adopt AI because employers are increasingly looking for practical experience with the technology.

Marketing tasks face high AI exposure

An Anthropic report cited by Fortune found that market research analysts and marketing specialists have about 65% of their tasks exposed to AI. Fortune reported that those roles sit near computer programmers and customer service representatives, two fields already facing pressure from AI-related changes.

Fortune reported that AI tools can now compress work such as marketing plans, creative asset generation and market research from weeks into hours or minutes. The shift is affecting how companies weigh marketing staffing and budgets, including cutbacks that have contributed to layoffs in the field, according to Fortune.

LinkedIn itself has reduced marketing staff amid budget pressure and rising AI use, Business Insider reported, as cited by Fortune. Adobe also faces investor pressure tied to AI, Fortune reported, with CEO Shantanu Narayen announcing in March that he would step down after a successor is named, CFO Dan Durn announcing his departure last week, and the company’s stock down more than 35% for the year.

Executives urge hands-on practice

Thornton and Jensen told Fortune they still see opportunity for marketers who adapt. Thornton said workers who are energized by change, can anticipate shifts and can work through uncertainty will be better positioned.

Jensen told Fortune that job candidates should be ready to show examples of how they use AI rather than only talk about it. She urged marketers to experiment, create, build agents and learn how AI works while pairing those skills with human creativity and judgment.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.