Changing the game with artificial intelligence
Martech hasn't escaped the disruptive forces of generative AI
Gen AI will get abused. But get people that understand how to wield it and it’s going to be powerful.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is not new in martech. It’s been fundamental for scoring leads and accounts, and intent data is derived using AI. But generative AI, a type of technology that uses existing data to create new content such as text, images, sounds, and other outputs, is heralded as a game-changer for ABM programs. However, we're only scratching the surface.
"Gen AI is going to be incredibly innovative for marketing. Disruptive for sure, but I think we need a positive tone," says Hogan of HG Insights. He says that savvy companies will realize that gen AI provides a smarter way of scaling ABM whilst removing the need for legacy software.
Hogan says that in the last decade, content has become so diluted as to become meaningless. Attention is scarce. To succeed today, marketers must create engaging, meaningful, human experiences. Ironically, this is where AI could help. "You have a wonderful opportunity to scale a unique voice." For example, if you’re creating a one-to-few campaign that involves creating 50 landing pages for key accounts, you may have to tailor messaging for each one individually using an overarching value proposition. "I’ve done that and it took hours and hours. By the 10th one you get lazy," says Hogan. With gen AI, this kind of copy customization is easily scalable.
But it won’t be the answer to everything. "It’s going to get abused. But if you’ve got people that understand how to wield it, it’s going to be incredibly powerful. I think companies are afraid to use it, so there’s a lot of policies on what you can and can’t do with gen AI," says Hogan. Detractors say it could breach privacy regulations and jeopardize personal data, so understandably some organizations have put controls on what tools employees can use.
But the technology is still in its infancy. "Right now, I don’t think any of us would say that content created by gen AI alone is good enough for an ABM program," says Demandbase’s Miller. "But in future, a salesperson might be able to say [to an AI engine], ‘I have some time for prospecting right now, show me the top 10 opportunities that I should focus on and what I should say.’ I think that’s a compelling use case."
Some believe gen AI will fizzle out, but the experts believe it's the start of something new. "We’re on the precipice of the next phase of marketing technology," says Altrata’s Phillips. "This is akin to the late 90s, early 2000s when email marketing first appeared and over the next 20 years it blew up. I think we’re in that same position with AI."
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