UK CMOs use less AI but say it works better

A new Censuswide survey of 500 UK CMOs and 2,000 UK adults finds marketers are using generative and traditional AI less often in 2026, but more adopters say the technology is beating expectations. The report also shows a growing gap between CMOs and consumers on how comfortable people are with AI in marketing.

Why it matters: - UK marketers are pulling back on AI use even as confidence rises among those who keep using it. - The report suggests CMOs may be reading consumer sentiment too optimistically, which raises the risk of backlash if AI is used without clear benefit or transparency. - Integrated marketing and PR teams appear to have stronger internal support, which could shape how brands manage reputation and campaign execution.

What happened: - Censuswide published the 2026 Voice of the UK CMO report on Oct. 22, 2026. - The research surveyed 500 UK CMOs and 2,000 nationally representative UK adults. - Generative AI use among CMOs fell to 62% in 2026 from 89% in 2025. - Traditional AI use among CMOs fell to 59% from 78% last year. - Among CMOs who have adopted AI, 64% said the technology exceeded expectations, up from 58% in 2025. - Almost all AI adopters, 99%, reported at least one benefit.

The details: - The most common AI gains were better campaign targeting, cited by 43% of adopters, improved analysis at 41%, and higher-quality content and greater personalisation, both at 40%. - When asked how consumers mainly feel about AI in marketing and advertising, CMOs were most likely to say comfortable, at 44%. - Consumers were most likely to say uncomfortable, at 29%. - CMOs were split on AI and creativity, with 44% saying AI fully or mostly hinders creativity and 40% saying it fully or mostly enables it. - Consumers were almost evenly divided on brand activism, with 51% saying brands should take a public stand on social or political issues and 49% saying they should not. - Backlash is now always on the minds of 47% of CMOs when planning marketing activity, up from 24% in 2025.

Between the lines: - The findings point to a more cautious AI market in marketing, where adoption is becoming more selective rather than simply expanding. - The gap between CMO and consumer views suggests marketers may be overestimating how much audiences will accept AI-led campaigns. - Censuswide CEO Nicky Marks said CMOs are becoming more deliberate about where AI belongs and that consumer acceptance has to be earned through appropriate use, transparency and clear benefit. - Fully integrated marketing and PR teams seem to have an internal advantage: 65% say stakeholders completely understand marketing’s importance, compared with 32% for campaign-based collaboration. - Those integrated teams also report complete leadership buy-in at 83%, versus 51% for campaign-based collaboration. - Budget pressure remains high, with 99% of CMOs reporting at least one budget challenge and 47% saying budgets are already committed to planned activity. - Even with those constraints, 66% expect marketing budgets to increase. - CMOs who use market research to measure campaign success are more likely to report improved customer trust from PR, at 27% versus 17%, and more likely to expect budget growth, at 68% versus 62%.

What's next: - Censuswide says the full Voice of the UK CMO 2026 report is available to download. - The findings may push more marketing teams to tighten AI use cases, test consumer reaction more carefully and link AI deployment to clearer business outcomes. - Brands that want to use AI in marketing may need to prove value faster while also managing reputational risk more actively.

The bottom line: - UK CMOs are using AI less often, but the ones who keep using it are getting more out of it — even as consumer comfort looks weaker than marketers assume.