Alright, let’s talk AI.
Most marketing teams say they’re “using AI.” The data says almost none of it is real.
What’s happening isn’t progress. It’s theater. Content automation dressed up as strategy.
Honestly, AI is exposing bad marketing more clearly than anything we’ve ever seen.
Let’s get into it.
AI Is Exposing Pretend Progress
Marketers suck. We talk big on AI and do nothing and the data proves it.
90% of teams say they’re “using AI.”
But only 23.3% have anything running in true production.
And the number one use case? Content. Not outcomes. Not revenue. Content.
Congratulations, we automated blogs and the funnel didn’t move an inch.
Big changes are happening and most teams have no clue. AI isn’t an add-on, it’s the foundation now.
The report makes it pretty clear.
Every big tool now has agents built in.
The automation tools we already use have basically turned into agent builders.
And teams are building their own AI tools because they’re tired of waiting for vendors to catch up.
Wake up. Martech isn’t consolidating. Martech is being cannibalized.
AI is doing more of the work every day. First the small stuff, then the big stuff, then whole products. It’s slow at first, then it’s everywhere.
2025 felt like the year of pretend progress. 2026 is the year people get exposed.
Reading the report made me realize something.
AI isn’t here to make marketing easier. It’s here to show who can run a real GTM engine and who can’t. And the report makes it pretty clear… most teams still can’t.
Shoutout to Scott Brinker and team for the Martech for 2026 report. It’s a good read.
That’s it for today. Connect with me on Linkedin if you actually want to understand what an Autonomous Organization looks like in the real world.
