AI pushes marketing chiefs deeper into growth and tech strategy
Marketing leaders say AI is expanding the CMO role into technology, commerce and companywide strategy while raising new trust risks.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
Artificial intelligence is widening the chief marketing officer’s job beyond brand stewardship into technology decisions, revenue growth and corporate strategy. Marketing leaders told Fortune that the shift is forcing CMOs to decide where machines can help and where human judgment still has to lead.
Dara Treseder, chief marketing and commercial officer at Autodesk, described the CMO role during Fortune’s Conversations from Cannes webinar as operating across the whole company. She said marketers who understand AI tools and know when to use them are entering a strong period for the profession.
Russell Reynolds, the New York-based executive search firm, has described today’s CMO as a leader responsible for companywide growth and customer ties. The firm’s research found that more than 90% of CMO job descriptions posted in 2025 required performance expertise as well as experience managing and developing teams.
AI raises trust concerns
Donna Smith, who works in EMEA partnerships at marketing and media company Monks, told Fortune the CMO has become one of the most valuable seats in the C-suite because the job now requires strong technology knowledge.
At the same time, Fortune and Morning Consult found caution among marketing and finance leaders about AI’s effect on creative work. In a survey of 1,100 decision-makers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, 78% said they were somewhat or extremely worried that AI-generated material could weaken consumer trust in brands.
Smith said marketers face a flood of mediocre AI-driven material that can make original thinking harder. She also said companies are learning to reject AI-made content when it does not meet the mark.
Some brands are already using AI in advertising production. The Wall Street Journal reported that Coca-Cola CMO Manolo Arroyo said AI helped the company make Christmas ads faster and at lower cost, reducing development time from a year to one month.
Treseder told Fortune that AI can make polished work easier to produce, but that does not guarantee memorability. She said human taste, originality and judgment will become more valuable as AI-generated content fills digital channels.
Fortune and Morning Consult’s survey also found that 53% of marketing and finance decision-makers believed AI would either replace creative functions or sharply reduce the need for human creativity. Treseder said marketing chiefs need to understand the tools well enough to decide when people should drive the work and when machines can support it.
For Treseder, AI should not originate the main idea or message of a campaign. She told Fortune that humans should lead that part of the process, while AI may be better suited to distribution planning and adapting campaigns for different audiences.
Search and creators gain ground
AI is also changing how consumers find brands online. McKinsey has said half of consumers use AI-powered search and has projected that $750 billion in consumer spending will come through AI search by 2028.
As tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini become search destinations, Fortune reported that marketers are working on generative engine optimization strategies. Semrush’s AI Visibility Index 2026 found that consumers who use AI search are more than four times more likely to buy than users of traditional search engines.
Treseder said creators have become a more important channel for brands in AI discovery because they can help validate a company’s message. Semrush analysis cited by Fortune found a 410% increase in job listings for content creator roles since 2023.
Despite that shift, Fortune and Morning Consult found that only 12% of marketers and finance leaders said they were using influencers to strengthen brand credibility and trust in the AI era. Treseder also urged marketers to consider how senior executives can use their own social channels to help carry company messages.
Treseder said brands cannot manufacture purpose casually if they want to earn customer trust. She told Fortune that trust remains easy to lose even as AI expands what marketing teams can produce and measure.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.