Bridging Artificial Intelligence and Marketing Automation: An Overview

Forms of artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly being used in companies’ marketing activities, generating processes that can lead to greater marketing automation. The automation paradigm is affecting marketing after having affected other functions in past decades. Automation in the broad sense should not be understood solely as a replacement for the human component, but also as the development and enhancement of the skills and abilities of marketing professionals in their interface with technology. This enhancement may be required of both marketers and consumers. In this article, we present a series of studies that highlight, from different perspectives, the implications of adopting forms of AI in the customer journey and in marketing organization. The articles analyze both consumer and business markets, as well as specific contexts such as hospitality services, internal marketing, and brand communication. The effects of AI adoption on marketing organization represent essential steps in an automation process and are intertwined with technology adoption and innovation processes from the perspective of marketing organizations.