Most marketers still underprepared for AI, says ACAM report

Australian marketers may be bullish about AI, but most are still flying blind, according to new research from The Australian Centre for AI in Marketing (ACAM).

Findings from ACAM’s inaugural AI Readiness Benchmarking Report reveal that while GenAI adoption is accelerating, capability and preparedness remain low. More than half of Australian marketing teams fall into the ‘beginner’ category, with early interest but few concrete implementations or strategic frameworks.

ACAM has introduced the country’s first AI Readiness Score, assessing marketing maturity across skills, governance, ethics, leadership and data. Only 8% of teams have reached advanced readiness. The rest are split between emerging (40%) and beginner (52%) stages.

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“Marketers believe in the potential of AI, but many are rolling out tools without roadmaps, launching pilots without governance, and missing the opportunity to embed AI into business strategy,” Douglas Nicol (pictured), ACAM co-founder, said. “This Readiness Score gives the industry its first true benchmark and a clear call to action.”

Despite widespread optimism, 83% of CMOs expect a strong return on AI investment, just 35% say their organisations have leadership actively championing the shift. Nearly all teams report a cautious majority and a vocal AI sceptic minority. Still, 90% of CMOs see AI as a way to shift marketing focus away from execution and back onto growth.

The findings echo trends seen in Canva’s 2025 State of Marketing & AI Report, which found 87% of local marketers allocated budgets for GenAI in 2024, with 79% planning to increase investment this year. More than half expect budget lifts of at least 25%.

Harvard Business School research has also highlighted AI’s upside, pointing to a potential 25% boost in productivity and a 40% lift in work quality across knowledge-based roles. But Australian CMOs remain cautious, citing lack of in-house skills (61%), regulatory concerns (49%), and implementation pace (41%) as top barriers.

“Australian marketers are highly motivated but underprepared when it comes to GenAI and that’s a dangerous gap,” Nicol said. “This isn’t about catching up with technology, it’s about redefining the role of marketing to lead organisations with confidence, creativity and accountability.”

Sian Chadwick, general manager of marketing at ANZ Bank and an ACAM AI Pioneer, said the findings reflect internal conversations happening across large organisations. “The barriers to AI deployment aren’t just technical, they’re cultural,” she said. “At ANZ, we recognise that building the right frameworks and capability takes time. It’s not about access to tools - it’s about fostering the mindset, trust and cross-functional alignment needed to embed AI responsibly and effectively.”

The report is based on quantitative research with 60 Australian CMOs across medium and large organisations, conducted in April and May 2025. ACAM plans to publish the AI Readiness benchmark annually to track industry progress.