The AI Fluency Report: What Advanced Marketers Are Really Doing With AI
The AI Fluency Report: What Advanced Marketers Are Really Doing With AI
Published
June 11, 2026
Updated
June 11, 2026
Vincent Ninh
Senior Content Marketing Manager, Right Side Up
Key findings from our AI fluency report
- AI usage is mainstream, but AI fluency is not: Nearly all of respondents use AI day-to-day, but only 12% qualify as hands-on builders or fully adopted developers.
- The biggest leap is moving beyond basic usage: Once marketers start using AI past basic prompts and tasks, they often start dabbling in building themselves.
- Advanced AI marketers are workflow designers: 80.8% of our advanced cohort referenced workflow automation or operations.
- AI use extends far beyond content: While 76.6% use AI for content and messaging, 60%+ also referenced research, analytics, strategy, and creative production.
- The best use cases keep humans in the loop: Almost no respondents framed AI around replacing humans entirely; most described using AI to increase speed, scale, efficiency, and clarity—with human input still very much needed.
In 2026, the question isn’t about if marketers are using AI, but how — and how effectively.
AI fluency in marketing: The results
| The results | Level | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 18% use AI tools day-to-day | AI beginner | There are few true AI beginners left, at least among our collective. The vast majority have moved past basic prompts and tasks. |
| 23% use embedded AI features | AI-enabled | AI is showing up inside existing workflows for nearly a quarter of the respondents. |
| 47% build with AI directly | AI-proficient | Many are also moving beyond passive use. Most marketers we polled are builders, or at least aspiring builders. |
| 12% are hands-on builders or fully adopted developers | AI-native | True builder fluency is still a smaller, more differentiated segment that only ⅓ of our respondents identified with. |
Data based on 580 answers from senior marketers within our talent collective
The AI fluency ladder
| Level | Marketer behavior | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| AI beginner (User) | Uses AI regularly across daily tasks | Research, copy, analysis, ideation |
| AI-enabled (Integrator) | Connects AI to existing tools | CRM enrichment, dashboard summaries, embedded AI features |
| AI-proficient (Builder) | Creates repeatable tools or workflows | Custom GPTs, automations, campaign audit tools |
| AI-native (System designer) | Builds multi-step, human-in-the-loop systems | Agents, reporting engines, creative pipelines, competitive intel systems |
Where AI-fluent marketers are creating the most value
| Category | % | Examples from responses |
|---|---|---|
| Content and messaging | 76.6% | Content systems, brief generation, messaging frameworks, draft creation, content optimization |
| Research and insights | 67.1% | Competitive intelligence, market monitoring, customer research synthesis, interview analysis, trend tracking |
| Analytics and measurement | 65.3% | Automated dashboards, performance reporting, KPI monitoring, reporting systems, data aggregation |
| Product and strategy | 63.5% | Strategic planning, product ideation, journey mapping, research synthesis, decision support |
| Creative production | 60.5% | Image generation, video creation, creative concepts, design exploration, visual asset production |
| CRM and lifecycle | 55.1% | Lead qualification, CRM enrichment, personalization, lifecycle campaigns, customer segmentation |
| Campaign execution | 46.7% | Campaign audits, paid media optimization, budget monitoring, campaign QA, cross-channel reporting |
Data based on 167 responses from our advanced cohort
What AI tools marketers are using
| AI tool | % |
|---|---|
| Claude (including Claude Code) | 89.2% |
| OpenAI (including ChatGPT, Custom GPTs, Codex, and OpenAI APIs) | 59.3% |
| Gemini | 14.4% |
| Midjourney | 6.6% |
| Lovable | 6.6% |
| N8N | 6.6% |
| Perplexity | 5.4% |
| Cursor | 3.0% |
| GitHub Copilot | 3.0% |
| NotebookLM | 0.6% |
| Replit | 0.6% |
Data based on 167 responses from our advanced cohort
What AI-fluent marketers don’t care about
- Prompt engineering was rarely mentioned—but not for the reason you think.
- There were no mentions of AI replacing humans.
- They built AI ecosystems, not one-off tasks.
Bring AI-fluent marketing talent into your team
As this report indicates, AI expertise has become an integral part of modern marketing—and occasionally dabbling in ChatGPT isn’t enough.
Need AI expertise today? Get in touch with us.