Nearly four in 10 marketers accept AI strategy without human review

Australian marketing leaders are becoming more confident in AI-assisted decision-making, but new research suggests their willingness to trust the technology is running ahead of the safeguards used to assess its recommendations.

A Bench Media survey of more than 70 senior client-side marketers found 38% accept AI-generated strategic recommendations without human review, rising to 45% for budget recommendations and creative concepts.

The findings, published in The Confidence Equation report, also reveal 90% of respondents believe decision-making has become easier over the past year, despite 59% identifying the growing number of AI and technology tools as a source of complexity.

Almost half (48%) said AI had made them more confident in their decisions, while 41% identified it as their most relied-upon input when deciding whether to take a calculated risk.

That reliance was particularly pronounced among marketers managing larger budgets. Among those overseeing more than $20 million, 51% leaned on AI when considering calculated risks, compared with 24% of respondents managing smaller budgets.

Jess Torstensson, general manager, growth at Bench Media, said the findings challenged expectations that AI would make senior marketers less confident.

“The data said the opposite. Confidence isn't about trusting AI more, it’s about knowing when to trust it, when to challenge it, and when to trust yourself,” Torstensson said.

However, the research also suggests human judgement remains influential. Almost six in 10 respondents (59%) said they would back their own judgement when an AI recommendation conflicted with it.

“The scarce skill in senior marketing is shifting from prompting AI well to knowing when to override it and being able to defend that call to a Board that increasingly assumes the machine is right,” Torstensson said.

“Call it veto literacy. It doesn't show up in a job description yet, but it will.”

The report also includes perspectives from senior client-side marketers who argue AI should support rather than replace strategic thinking.

“The strongest decisions come from combining technology with a deep understanding of consumers, culture, brands and business objectives. AI should enhance our thinking, not replace it,” Michelle Wee, general manager, marketing at Hisense, said.

Emma Fogarty, head of marketing and category at nudie Foods, reinforced the importance of scrutiny.

“There still needs to be a human in the loop. The outputs need to be challenged, validated and considered in context,” Fogarty said.