UK marketers secretly use AI as integration & compliance lag

One in ten UK marketers are using artificial intelligence tools without the knowledge of their employers, according to recent research.

The study, conducted by Optimizely and based on a survey of 100 UK marketing professionals, reveals varying levels of AI adoption within the sector and highlights issues surrounding compliance, integration, and performance measurement.

Secret AI usage

Optimizely's research found that 10% of marketers are actively employing AI tools against company policy. Another 10% admitted they do not know how to begin using artificial intelligence in their work, indicating uncertainty and uneven knowledge about AI across different organisations.

The survey suggests that marketing teams are pushing ahead with AI experimentation in the absence of formal guidelines or consistent strategies within their businesses. This trend is contributing to an environment where the adoption of AI is not uniform and often occurs without central oversight.

Complexity and integration challenges

The findings indicate that 28% of marketers find that juggling a variety of AI tools makes performance tracking more difficult, potentially undermining efforts to measure campaign success and return on investment accurately. The lack of integration between AI solutions and existing marketing technology stacks was cited as a significant barrier by 18% of respondents.

Such integration problems may inhibit the ability of marketing teams to deploy AI at scale and extract value from technology investments. As a result, marketers are encountering operational difficulties as they experiment with and implement AI tools in their day-to-day activities.

Compliance and governance concerns

According to the research, compliance remains a key concern. Nearly one in five respondents (19%) said that data privacy and governance are impediments to the broader rollout of AI within their organisations. These concerns raise the possibility of inconsistent practices and outcomes as companies attempt to balance the potential benefits of AI with regulatory obligations.

As companies address these blockers, they are also contending with the challenge of keeping up with rapidly evolving technology and industry standards. The lack of clear frameworks and support structures for AI adoption complicates efforts to advance safely and responsibly within the marketing function.

Industry perspective

"AI is becoming part of everyday marketing, but without a clear framework, and the right analytics to measure impact, it can slow teams down. By using AI to power ideation and insights, as well as drive action in content, experimentation, and personalisation tools, marketers gain clarity into outcomes and create richer, more consistent experiences that drive growth," said Tina Nelson, Product Strategy Director at Optimizely. 

The findings highlight the dual potential of AI within marketing: as a powerful tool to generate insights and deliver tailored content, and as a source of operational and compliance risks when processes and oversight are lacking.

Moving forward

Optimizely's survey illustrates the uneven maturity of AI adoption across the UK marketing sector, with some professionals moving ahead in the absence of formal backing, and others hesitant or uncertain as to how to proceed. As marketers continue to experiment with AI, organisations will need to assess the risks and opportunities, focusing on building frameworks that support both innovation and compliance.

Data privacy, integration, and performance tracking will remain key focuses for marketing functions as they look to maximise the benefits of AI, according to the report's findings.