Fall in love with Tech and AI, but don’t forget the human

But here’s my question: Are we truly thinking about the customer, or are we just striving for efficiency, and what does efficiency mean for us?

Too often, when working with technology, the focus shifts away from the human—human referring to the marketer using the technology or the end customer we are interacting with. We measure open rates and click-through rates but forget to ask: Did this message make a difference? Did it provide real value? Can our marketer use the technology in an easy, compliant and efficient manner?

This article isn’t about whether we should be using automation or AI; I definitely think we should — instead, this article is about what we need to take into consideration to use it wisely. I believe human touch – meaning human and ethical ethical judgment, creativity and even intuition is still needed to make the value of marketing automation and AI truly meaningful.

AI can be better than us—but we need to guide it

The truth is that AI is already capable of producing better, more relevant, and even more engaging content than we humans. It can analyse data at lightning speed, personalise messaging down to individual behaviours, and generate copy that resonates.

A couple of weeks back, I tested Salesforce’s capabilities, including prompt builder, to automatically build AI-generated email content for a large group of individuals, personalised based on their profile, demographics, and past actions. Within seconds, AI produced individualised emails—something I could never have done manually. The content was clear, well-structured, and probably much more readable than what I would have written myself. It is clear that AI can generate content with a speed that no human can and make the content even more relevant.

The speed and precision AI offers are undeniable. But what are the risks? How do we ensure AI-generated content retains emotional depth? How do we prevent bias? How can we trust the quality of what it creates?

We must learn to work with AI—guiding it, questioning it, refining its output, and ensuring it aligns with real human needs. Just as we’ve had to master marketing automation, we must also become the directors of AI, not just passive users. AI is a tool, and like any tool, its effectiveness depends on how we use it.

Gartner predicts that by 2027, 62% of leading companies will use AI to automate routine tasks, freeing up time for strategic thinking.  “Freeing up time for critical and strategic thinking” – this is what I see as one of the biggest values of AI for marketers – the chance to focus time on understanding the customer and how to connect with them, instead of spending time building emails or building segments.

But is AI truly delivering this freedom? I think it can and it will, but we need to ensure that we are not ending up only shifting from manual work to managing increasingly complex systems.

Are we thinking about the customer?

Sometimes, we need to pause and ask: Are we automating for efficiency or for better customer experiences?

Automation shouldn’t exist just for the sake of sending more emails or triggering more interactions. The goal should be to ensure that every touchpoint is meaningful. Sometimes, this actually means sending fewer messages—but making them more relevant.

When technology runs unchecked, customers end up overwhelmed with irrelevant content. The difference between technology-driven marketing and human-driven marketing powered by technology lies in whether we optimise for connection and relationships—not just efficiency.

As AI continues to evolve, we need to ask:

Are we pausing often enough to evaluate if our actions are truly relevant for the end customer? Are we using AI to enhance relationships, or simply to automate more?

Misguided Focus and Missing Insights

According to Gartner, by 2026, over 80% of companies will use Generative AI in their digital work environments, compared to less than 5% in 2023. This rapid adoption is transforming how we collaborate, create, and solve problems, yet many organisations lack structured processes to truly integrate AI into their workflows.

Based on my experiences from the past few years, here are some of the key challenges that have prevented businesses from making the most of marketing automation. And most of them are related more to the processes around the technology than to the technology itself. This could be similarly valid for the use of AI as well.

• Lack of Clear Processes – Many companies invest in technology and AI, but if there is no plan for how to use it efficiently, this leads to fragmented, inefficient, and slow usage of the systems. And most probably also to increase technical debt.
• Missing Expertise – Many organisations still lack the right expertise to run marketing automation efficiently. Or maybe there is expertise but a lack of coordination on how to use that expertise efficiently.
• No Transparent Analytics – When there is not enough information or no tracking of real impact, it is difficult or impossible to make good conclusions. Setting up journeys and automations is still rather easy but building a framework to show their impact and value is already more complex.
• Disjointed Partnerships – Sometimes, external partners or cross-functional teams are not properly integrated, which leads to misalignments and inefficiencies due to gaps in information.

If we lack the structured processes, it can lead to overengineered systems that miss the mark. This again takes away time from understanding the real customer needs.

Technology as an enabler and collaborator

The trick lies in connecting technology to purpose and humanity. Companies that get value from technologies, theydon’t just embrace it; they master the art of using it with purpose. They leverage AI but also create space for creativity, critical thinking, and human empathy.

As AI becomes more advanced, the real challenge is not whether technology will replace marketers—it’s whether marketers will use it wisely.

• Will we let AI drive without questioning its direction?
• Will we prioritise automation at the expense of human connection?
• Will we focus so much on what’s technically possible that we forget what’s meaningful?
• Are we pausing often enough to analyse if our actions are relevant for the end customers?
• Are we pausing often enough to analyse if our technologies are easy enough to be used?

How can we embrace the change? How can we keep on learning and ensuring that new advancements in technology and AI are efficiently incorporated into our way of working? These are the questions to which each company should have an answer.

Final thought: human connection remains key

The scale of digital transformation is undeniable—almost 40% of global employment is exposed to AI, and in advanced economies, approximately 60% of jobs are being transformed by AI (Gartner). The impact is massive, but we need toensure that transformation improves both efficiency and human experience.

The future of marketing isn’t about choosing between technology and humanity. It’s about learning how to blend the two effectively.

AI can make marketing smarter, but we are responsible for making it matter.

So yes, I believe it is important to fall in love with the possibilities of technology. But we should never forget the people on both sides of it.