In-depth interviews on the impacts of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on marketing professionals

Extant research on the impact of generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has significantly advanced our understanding of its effects on various aspects of business, particularly within the marketing discipline. Despite these contributions, notable research gaps remain, prompting recent academic calls for further investigation. Our research seeks to address these gaps by answering four critical questions to deepen the understanding of how GenAI impacts marketing professionals.

The first research question explores how GenAI influences the roles, responsibilities, and career advancement of marketing professionals. While current studies highlight shifts in required skills, such as the increasing demand for expertise in AI and digital marketing (Soni, 2023), there is limited insight into how GenAI affects marketing professionals at different career levels (Wahid, 2023). This gap in knowledge hinders the development of effective training programs tailored to address the talent gap in managing and utilizing GenAI tools. By investigating this question, our research aims to provide actionable guidance for both practitioners and educators in bridging this skills gap.

The second research question addresses the development of frameworks and policies to regulate the ethical use of GenAI in marketing. Existing research has proposed frameworks such as PAIR (Problem, AI, Interaction, Reflection) (Acar, 2024), co-creative models for responsible AI use (Sun et al., 2024; Cillo & Rubera, 2024), and an organizing framework linking business actions, capabilities, transformations, and societal impact (Kumar, 2024). However, these frameworks inadequately address ethical concerns such as transparency, intellectual property, and bias mitigation (Kumar, 2024; Guha, 2023; Gayam, 2022). Our research will aim to develop more comprehensive and robust frameworks that respond to these critical ethical challenges.

The third research question seeks to understand how companies can maximize the potential of GenAI while minimizing risks related to content quality, bias, and brand alignment. While studies have documented the applications of GenAI, such as ChatGPT, in content creation, customer engagement, and behavior analysis (Gupta et al., 2024), as well as its benefits like scalability and effectiveness (Kshetri et al., 2024), significant risks remain. Challenges such as accuracy issues, ethical and legal concerns, and trust erosion (Cillo & Rubera, 2024; Ding, 2024; Wahid et al., 2023) are underexplored in terms of mitigation strategies. Our research will contribute to identifying best practices and solutions to help companies optimize GenAI’s advantages while managing these risks effectively.

Finally, the fourth research question examines the long-term effects of GenAI on customer perceptions of brand authenticity and loyalty. Recent studies call for more research on this topic, highlighting the potential implications of automated interactions on customer trust and brand relationships (Gayam, 2022; Thakur & Kushwaha, 2023; Kshetri, 2024; Chaisatikul, 2024). Addressing this question will provide insights into how companies can maintain genuine and trustworthy connections with their customers in a landscape increasingly shaped by AI-driven interactions.

By answering these four research questions, our study aims to fill critical gaps in the current understanding of GenAI’s implications for marketing professionals, ethical practices, corporate strategy, and customer relationships, contributing valuable knowledge to both academia and industry.

To answer these research questions, we will conduct in-depth interviews with marketing professionals at different stages of their career. The dataset illustrate the opinion of marketing professionals on how GenAI impact their work, how to leverage the benefits and mitigate risks associate with GenAI, how to use GenAI ethitically, and how the use of GenAI affect the customers' perception toward the brands/companies.

To address these research questions, we will conduct in-depth interviews with marketing professionals at various stages of their careers. The dataset will capture their perspectives on how generative AI impacts their work, ways to leverage its benefits while mitigating associated risks, the ethical use of generative AI, and how its use influences customers' perceptions of brands and companies.