# AI in Marketing Statistics 2026: Adoption, Budgets, Agents and AI Search

Updated 2026-10-25. Checked by StatisticsGlobal editorial team. 7 primary publishers (Gartner, McKinsey, Eurostat, IAB, Content Marketing Institute, HubSpot, BrightLocal), surveys and official statistics for 2025 and 2026.
Canonical: https://statisticsglobal.org/ai-marketing-statistics/

CMOs allocated an average of 15.3% of marketing budgets to AI in 2026, but only 30% said their organisation was ready to scale it, according to Gartner. Use is near universal among marketers. 98% of marketing teams use AI in some way, according to HubSpot. Results lag. Only 10% of teams report transformational results, and across all EU enterprises only about 6.9% used AI for marketing or sales in 2025, calculated from Eurostat data.

## Key statistics

- CMOs allocated an average of 15.3% of marketing budgets to AI initiatives in 2026, according to Gartner.
- Only 30% of CMOs reported mature or fully developed AI readiness capabilities in 2026, according to Gartner.
- 98% of marketing teams used AI in some way in 2026, according to HubSpot.
- About 6.9% of all EU enterprises used AI for marketing or sales in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data.
- 45% of US consumers used ChatGPT or other generative AI tools for local business recommendations in 2026, up from 6%, according to BrightLocal.

## AI marketing adoption statistics

How many marketers use AI depends on who is asked. Marketer surveys show near-universal use. Official business statistics show a much lower share of companies, because they count every firm, not just marketing teams.

Almost every marketer now uses AI. 98% of marketing teams use it in some way, according to HubSpot, and 95% of B2B marketers say their organisations use AI-powered applications, according to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI). Those two numbers come from different years and samples, but they agree.

Depth is a different story. Only 32% of B2B marketers describe their AI approach as established or better. 68% are still exploring or developing. HubSpot finds 42% report advanced use, yet only 10% have reached transformational results. Across all functions, McKinsey finds 44% of organisations scaling AI across the enterprise in 2026, up from 38%.

Official data gives a wider view. Only 19.95% of EU enterprises with 10 or more staff used any AI technology in 2025, according to Eurostat. That is up 48% from about 13.48% in 2024. Denmark led at 42.03% and Romania trailed at 5.21%. Marketer surveys and business statistics measure different things, so the gap is not a contradiction. For which AI tools people use, see our [AI chatbot market share](https://statisticsglobal.org/ai-chatbot-market-share/) page.

- 98% of marketing teams used AI in some way in 2026, according to HubSpot. Source: HubSpot, The State of AI in Marketing (2026 State of AI in Marketing Report) (updated October 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-generative-ai
- 95% of B2B marketers said their organisations used AI-powered applications in 2025, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- 32% of B2B marketers described their AI approach as established, advanced or leading in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Content Marketing Institute data. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- 42% of marketers reported advanced AI use, established or transformational, in 2026, according to HubSpot. Source: HubSpot, The State of AI in Marketing (2026 State of AI in Marketing Report) (updated October 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-generative-ai
- Only 10% of marketing teams had reached the transformational level of AI results in 2026, according to HubSpot. Source: HubSpot, The State of AI in Marketing (2026 State of AI in Marketing Report) (updated October 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-generative-ai
- 44% of organisations said AI was scaling across their enterprise in 2026, up from 38% a year earlier, according to McKinsey & Company. Source: McKinsey & Company, The state of AI in 2026: On the road to ROI (25 August 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai
- 19.95% of EU enterprises used AI technologies in 2025, according to Eurostat. Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained) (data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises
- The share of EU enterprises using AI rose by 48% between 2024 and 2025, from 13.48% to 19.95%, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data. Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained) (data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises
- Denmark had the highest share of enterprises using AI in the EU in 2025 at 42.03%, against 5.21% in Romania, according to Eurostat. Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained) (data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises

Table: How widely AI is used, by source and scope

| Measure | Share | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing teams using AI in some way | 98% | HubSpot, 1,754 marketers, 2026 |
| B2B marketers whose organisations use AI applications | 95% | CMI, 1,015 B2B marketers, 2025 |
| Organisations where AI is scaling across the enterprise | 44% | McKinsey, 1,719 respondents, 2026 |
| Marketers reporting advanced AI use | 42% | HubSpot, 2026 |
| B2B marketers with an established, advanced or leading AI approach | 32% (calculated) | CMI, 2025 |
| EU enterprises using any AI technology | 19.95% | Eurostat, enterprises with 10+ staff, 2025 |
| Marketing teams with transformational AI results | 10% | HubSpot, 2026 |

Sources: HubSpot 2026 State of AI in Marketing; Content Marketing Institute B2B Trends 2026; McKinsey State of AI 2026; Eurostat. CMI maturity share calculated by StatisticsGlobal (24% + 5% + 3%).

## AI use for marketing and sales in EU enterprises

Eurostat is the only source here that counts businesses, not survey respondents. It asks every AI-using enterprise what it uses AI for, and marketing or sales is one of the main answers.

34.70% of EU enterprises that used AI in 2025 applied it to marketing or sales. Combined with the 19.95% of enterprises that use AI at all, that means about 6.9% of all EU enterprises used AI for marketing or sales.

Consumer-facing sectors lead. 58.82% of AI-using accommodation businesses and 48.18% of AI-using retailers applied AI to marketing or sales. Manufacturing was lower at 30.41%. Where customers book or buy online, AI for marketing tends to come first.

- 34.70% of EU enterprises that used AI applied it to marketing or sales in 2025, according to Eurostat. Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained) (data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises
- About 6.9% of all EU enterprises used AI for marketing or sales in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Eurostat data. Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained) (data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises
- 58.82% of AI-using enterprises in the EU accommodation sector used AI for marketing or sales in 2025, according to Eurostat. Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained) (data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises
- 48.18% of AI-using retail enterprises in the EU used AI for marketing or sales in 2025, according to Eurostat. Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained) (data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises

Table: EU enterprises using AI for marketing or sales, 2025

| Group | Share using AI for marketing or sales | Base |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation sector | 58.82% | AI-using enterprises in the sector |
| Retail trade | 48.18% | AI-using enterprises in the sector |
| All sectors | 34.70% | AI-using enterprises |
| All enterprises | 6.9% (calculated) | All enterprises with 10+ staff |

Source: Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises, 2025 data. All-enterprise share calculated by StatisticsGlobal: 19.95% x 34.70%.

## AI share of marketing budgets

Gartner's CMO Spend Survey is the most direct measure of how much marketing money goes to AI. It also shows that spending is running ahead of readiness.

CMOs put an average of 15.3% of their marketing budgets into AI initiatives in 2026, according to Gartner. Marketing budgets themselves were 7.8% of company revenue, barely up from 7.7% in 2025. So AI took roughly 1.2% of company revenue through marketing.

The 30% of CMOs with mature AI readiness spend more. They allocate 21.3% of marketing budgets to AI, a 39% larger share, and have bigger budgets at 8.9% of revenue. Relative to revenue, they spend about 1.6 times as much on AI as the average.

Ambition outruns money. 70% of CMOs call becoming an AI leader a critical goal, but 56% say they lack the budget to deliver their 2026 strategy. Among B2B marketers, 45% put AI-powered tools in their top three areas for more investment in 2026, according to CMI. Events (33%) and owned media (32%) were close behind.

- CMOs allocated an average of 15.3% of marketing budgets to AI initiatives in 2026, according to Gartner. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- AI-ready marketing organisations allocated 21.3% of their marketing budgets to AI initiatives in 2026, according to Gartner. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- AI-ready marketing organisations put a 39% larger share of their budget into AI than the average CMO in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Gartner data. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- AI initiatives took about 1.2% of company revenue through marketing budgets in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Gartner data. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- AI-ready marketing organisations spent about 1.6 times as much on AI relative to revenue as the average in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Gartner data. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- Only 30% of CMOs reported mature or fully developed AI readiness capabilities in 2026, according to Gartner. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- 70% of CMOs said becoming an AI leader was a critical goal for 2026, according to Gartner. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- 56% of CMOs said their marketing organisation lacked the budget to deliver its 2026 strategy, according to Gartner. Source: Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities (11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
- 45% of B2B marketers named AI-powered marketing tools among their top three areas for increased investment in 2026, in a 2025 Content Marketing Institute survey. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research

Table: AI in marketing budgets, average CMO vs AI-ready organisations, 2026

| Measure | Survey average | AI-ready organisations |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing budget as share of company revenue | 7.8% | 8.9% |
| Share of marketing budget on AI | 15.3% | 21.3% |
| AI spend as share of company revenue | 1.19% (calculated) | 1.90% (calculated) |

Source: Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey, 401 CMOs in North America, the UK and Europe, January to March 2026. AI-ready means mature or fully developed AI readiness (30% of CMOs). Revenue shares calculated by StatisticsGlobal.

## Generative AI use cases in marketing

Content is the main use of generative AI in marketing. The data shows clear gains in speed, and much weaker evidence of better results.

89% of B2B marketers using AI use content creation tools for copy. 53% use creative asset tools and 41% use AI for SEO, according to CMI. Prediction and personalisation tools are rare, at 12% and 14%.

The benefits are mostly about speed. 87% of AI content users say productivity improved, but only 39% say content performance improved. That 48-point gap is the clearest sign that AI makes content faster, not better. 12% say quality got worse. HubSpot finds 52% of marketers think AI has made content so easy that it is now less effective. For how AI is used to tailor content, see our [personalization statistics](https://statisticsglobal.org/personalization-statistics/).

Ad buyers are cooling on generative AI as a campaign theme. Focus on generative AI in US media campaigns fell from 78% of buyers in January 2026 to 69% in September, according to IAB.

- 89% of B2B marketers using AI used content creation tools for marketing copy in 2025, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- 87% of B2B marketers using AI for content said productivity improved in 2025, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- Only 39% of B2B marketers using AI for content said content performance improved in 2025, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- 12% of B2B marketers using AI for content said content quality decreased in 2025, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- The share of B2B marketers seeing AI productivity gains was 48 points higher than the share seeing better content performance in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Content Marketing Institute data. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- 52% of marketers believed AI had made content so easy to create that it had become less effective in 2026, according to HubSpot. Source: HubSpot, The State of AI in Marketing (2026 State of AI in Marketing Report) (updated October 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-generative-ai
- 69% of US ad buyers said generative AI use in media campaigns was an area of increased focus in September 2026, according to IAB. Source: IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update) (10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/
- Focus on generative AI in US media campaigns fell 9 points between January and September 2026, from 78% to 69% of buyers, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from IAB data. Source: IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update) (10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/

Table: Impact of AI on content among B2B marketers using AI for content, 2025

| Outcome | Share saying it improved |
|---|---|
| Productivity | 87% |
| Operational efficiency | 80% |
| Creative capabilities | 65% |
| Content quality | 58% |
| Content performance | 39% |

Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026, 1,015 B2B marketers, June to August 2025. Base: marketers using AI for content creation.

## AI search impact on marketing and SEO

AI answers in search and chat tools are changing how people find brands. IAB's September 2026 survey of US ad buyers shows this is now their top concern.

Adapting to consumer behaviour, including AI-driven search, is now the top media investment challenge for US ad buyers, cited by 44%, according to IAB. Optimising content for AI-generated answers is the top area of increased focus at 76%.

Measurement is shifting with it. 86% of buyers are changing or expect to change how they measure media because of AI tools and agents. The most common change, chosen by 48%, is to measure brand visibility and citations directly inside AI tools. For the search market these AI tools compete with, see our [search engine market share](https://statisticsglobal.org/search-engine-market-share/) data.

- 44% of US ad buyers named adapting to consumer behaviour, including AI-driven search, as their top media investment challenge in 2026, according to IAB. Source: IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update) (10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/
- 76% of US ad buyers said optimising content for AI-generated answers was an area of increased focus in 2026, according to IAB. Source: IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update) (10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/
- 86% of US ad buyers were changing or expected to change how they measure media because of AI tools and agents in 2026, according to IAB. Source: IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update) (10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/
- 48% of US ad buyers said they would measure brand visibility and citations directly within AI tools in 2026, the top measurement change, according to IAB. Source: IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update) (10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/
- 38% of US ad buyers named low-quality AI-generated content as a media investment challenge in 2026, according to IAB. Source: IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update) (10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/

Table: US ad buyers' response to AI search and AI agents, September 2026

| Measure | Share of buyers |
|---|---|
| Changing or expect to change measurement because of AI tools and agents | 86% |
| Optimising content for AI-generated answers is an area of increased focus | 76% |
| Measuring brand visibility and citations inside AI tools | 48% |
| Top challenge is adapting to consumer behaviour, including AI search | 44% |
| Concerned about low-quality AI-generated content | 38% |

Source: IAB 2026 Outlook Study, September update, 200+ US brand and agency ad investment decision-makers.

## AI agents in marketing statistics

AI agents act on tasks with less human input. Estimates of how many marketers use them range widely, because sources define agent use very differently.

The sources disagree sharply. HubSpot says more than 85% of marketing departments use AI agents in 2026. CMI found only 28% of B2B marketers experimenting with agents in mid-2025, and just 3% calling them core to strategy. The year, the sample and the definition of an agent all differ, so both can be right.

McKinsey's cross-function data shows fast growth. The share of large organisations scaling agents in at least one function rose from 27% to 40%, a 13-point or 48% jump. Smaller organisations stayed flat at 22%.

- 40% of respondents from large organisations said they were scaling AI agents in at least one function in 2026, up from 27%, according to McKinsey & Company. Source: McKinsey & Company, The state of AI in 2026: On the road to ROI (25 August 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai
- The share of large organisations scaling AI agents rose 13 points, or 48%, between 2025 and 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from McKinsey & Company data. Source: McKinsey & Company, The state of AI in 2026: On the road to ROI (25 August 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai
- More than 85% of marketing departments surveyed used AI agents in 2026, according to HubSpot. Source: HubSpot, The State of AI in Marketing (2026 State of AI in Marketing Report) (updated October 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-generative-ai
- 28% of B2B marketers said they experimented with AI agents in 2025, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
- 3% of B2B marketers said AI agents were core to their strategies in 2025, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Source: Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026) https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research

Table: AI agent use by source and definition

| Measure | Share | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing departments using AI agents | More than 85% | HubSpot, 1,754 marketers, 2026 |
| Large organisations scaling agents in at least one function | 40% (27% in 2025) | McKinsey, all functions, 2026 |
| B2B marketers experimenting with AI agents | 28% | CMI, 1,015 B2B marketers, 2025 |
| B2B marketers saying agents are core to strategy | 3% | CMI, 2025 |

Sources: HubSpot 2026 State of AI in Marketing; McKinsey State of AI 2026; Content Marketing Institute B2B Trends 2026.

## Consumer use of AI for recommendations

The demand side is moving too. BrightLocal's annual survey of US consumers shows a sharp rise in using AI tools to find local businesses.

45% of US consumers used ChatGPT or other generative AI for local recommendations in 2026, up from 6% a year earlier, according to BrightLocal. That is a 7.5-fold rise in one year.

Trust is ahead of doubt. 40% trust AI platforms to recommend businesses, against 32% who do not. 82% read AI-generated review summaries, and 23% would rely on them alone. For marketers, this connects directly to the IAB finding that AI answers are now buyers' top focus.

- 45% of US consumers used ChatGPT or other generative AI tools for local business recommendations in 2026, up from 6%, according to BrightLocal. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (11 February 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- Use of generative AI for local recommendations among US consumers grew 7.5 times in one year to 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from BrightLocal data. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (11 February 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- 40% of US consumers trusted AI platforms to provide business recommendations in 2026, against 32% who did not, according to BrightLocal. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (11 February 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- 42% of US consumers trusted AI recommendations as much as traditional reviews for local businesses in 2026, according to BrightLocal. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (11 February 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- 82% of US consumers read AI-generated review summaries in 2026, and 23% would rely on them alone, according to BrightLocal. Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (11 February 2026, accessed 25 October 2026) https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/

Table: US consumers and AI for local business discovery, 2026

| Measure | Share |
|---|---|
| Read AI-generated review summaries | 82% |
| Used ChatGPT or other generative AI for local recommendations | 45% (6% a year earlier) |
| Trust AI recommendations as much as traditional reviews | 42% |
| Trust AI platforms to recommend businesses | 40% |
| Do not trust AI platforms to recommend businesses | 32% |
| Would rely on AI review summaries alone | 23% |

Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, 1,002 US adults.

## How these sources measure AI in marketing

There is no standard definition of AI use in marketing. Each source asks a different question of a different group, so the numbers should not be combined directly.

Marketer surveys: HubSpot (1,754 marketers in five regions, 2026, no fieldwork dates published), CMI (1,015 B2B marketers, June to August 2025, sponsored by Storyblok) and Gartner (401 CMOs in North America, the UK and Europe, January to March 2026, mostly at firms with revenue above $1 billion). These record what marketers say they do.

Cross-function and buyer surveys: McKinsey (1,719 respondents in 97 countries, May to June 2026) covers all business functions, not only marketing. IAB (200+ US ad buyers, September 2026) covers media investment. McKinsey reports that revenue gains from AI are most often seen in marketing and sales, but the function-level figures sit in charts we could not verify, so we leave them out.

Official statistics: Eurostat counts EU enterprises with 10 or more employees in its 2025 ICT survey. It is the most representative source here, but it only says whether firms use AI for marketing or sales, not how much.

Consumer data: BrightLocal surveys 1,002 US adults via SurveyMonkey and does not publish question wording. HubSpot and BrightLocal sell marketing software, which shapes what they ask. Our calculations are labelled and show their inputs.


## Frequently asked questions

### How much of the marketing budget goes to AI?

CMOs allocated an average of 15.3% of marketing budgets to AI initiatives in 2026, according to Gartner. AI-ready organisations allocated 21.3%. With marketing at 7.8% of revenue, AI took about 1.2% of company revenue.

### Which countries use AI most in business?

In the EU, Denmark had the highest share of enterprises using AI in 2025 at 42.03%, followed by Finland (37.82%) and Sweden (35.04%), according to Eurostat. Romania (5.21%), Poland (8.36%) and Bulgaria (8.55%) were lowest.

### How has AI use in marketing changed since last year?

The share of EU enterprises using AI rose from about 13.48% in 2024 to 19.95% in 2025. Large organisations scaling AI agents rose from 27% to 40%, according to McKinsey. US consumers using AI for local recommendations rose from 6% to 45%, according to BrightLocal.

### Why are marketers not seeing better results from AI?

Most gains are in speed. 87% of B2B marketers using AI for content saw productivity improve, but only 39% saw content performance improve, according to CMI. Gartner found only 30% of CMOs have mature AI readiness.

### Is AI search changing marketing?

Yes. 44% of US ad buyers name adapting to consumer behaviour, including AI search, as their top challenge, and 76% are focusing more on optimising for AI answers, according to IAB's September 2026 survey.

### Is there a forecast for AI marketing spend?

No source here gives a market forecast. In McKinsey's 2026 survey, 60% of respondents expect their organisations to increase AI investment over the next year, across all functions.

## Sources

1. Gartner, Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities, 11 May 2026, accessed 25 October 2026. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities
2. HubSpot, The State of AI in Marketing (2026 State of AI in Marketing Report), updated October 2026, accessed 25 October 2026. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-generative-ai
3. Eurostat, Use of artificial intelligence in enterprises (Statistics Explained), data extracted December 2025, accessed 25 October 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises
4. BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, 11 February 2026, accessed 25 October 2026. https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
5. Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026, 8 October 2025, accessed 25 October 2026. https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research
6. McKinsey & Company, The state of AI in 2026: On the road to ROI, 25 August 2026, accessed 25 October 2026. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai
7. IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth, as Strong First Half Lifts Expectations (2026 Outlook Study: September Update), 10 September 2026, accessed 25 October 2026. https://www.iab.com/news/iab-raises-2026-u-s-ad-spend-forecast/