While AI adoption is clearly accelerating, there are still fundamental gaps that could make or break companies and careers in the coming years. That’s the key takeaway from the recently published 2025 State of Marketing AI Report. This is the fifth year that Paul Roetzer and his team have conducted this survey, and it offers great insights into what others, across corporate and agency environments, are doing and thinking about AI.
Let’s dig into three of the biggest gaps highlighted in the report and what to do about it.
Absence of AI Strategy and Governance
Seventy-five percent of marketing teams still lack an AI road map for the next one to two years. What’s even more telling is that companies without road maps are also missing the foundational pieces: 63% don’t have generative AI policies, 60% lack AI ethics guidelines and 67% operate without an AI council. This poses a significant barrier to effective, scalable AI adoption.
As we work with clients at Luckie, we address these gaps using a simple road-mapping exercise that starts with establishing a “foundational phase” that addresses the five key areas: initial AI governance (inclusive of a formal company AI policy), AI council establishment, data readiness audit(s), essential AI enablement, and an AI literacy and training plan.
It’s straightforward but impactful, and the findings from the report back up this approach. In fact, companies with defined AI road maps are TWICE as likely to successfully integrate training, councils and necessary policies.
Why Faster Isn’t Enough
The report confirms that saving time remains the top AI goal for marketers. Quick wins in task automation and content creation dominate early adoption strategies, aligning with broader industry findings. However, be wary of the “efficiency trap.” Simply using AI for efficiency becomes the baseline rather than a differentiator. The real competitive advantage isn’t in having AI tools — it’s in how creatively you apply them. Push yourself and your teams beyond “faster” into making your AI-driven solutions smarter and more strategic. The companies that crack this will separate themselves while others are still celebrating faster content creation.
The efficiency trap also underscores the relationship between humans and AI. It suggests that successful adoption of AI depends on augmenting, rather than just replacing, human expertise. It’s imperative to continue identifying where humans-in-the-loop are and where can we further differentiate leveraging their experience and knowledge.
Lack of AI Education and Training Persists
Since this report was first published in 2020, “lack of education and training” has been the biggest barrier to AI adoption. Sixty-two percent of respondents cite this as a primary obstacle, and 68% report getting zero AI training from their companies. What’s further concerning is the disconnect between leadership and teams. CEOs are less likely to see training as a barrier, which suggests they might not fully grasp what their people need to succeed with AI.
If your company doesn’t have an assigned “AI leader,” this is a great place for an AI council to take ownership, in partnership with HR, to map out what and how to provide learning opportunities across the employee base. At Luckie, we partner with marketing departments regularly to do lunch-and-learns or more tailored training. Additionally, all of the frontier companies have recognized this gap and are rolling out free resources in AI training. So, even if your company isn’t offering structured training opportunities, individuals who want to stay ahead of the curve and evolve their skills should be taking advantage of free resources like these:
Amazon: https://aws.amazon.com/ai/learn/new-to-ai/
Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/learn
Google: https://grow.google/ai/
Microsoft: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/?tabs=developer
OpenAI: https://academy.openai.com/home
The Bottom Line
The takeaway is clear: Embracing AI isn’t optional, and neither is equipping your team to master it. This isn’t rocket science, but it can be difficult to navigate and requires a level of focus to do it right. Companies committed to a responsible, human-centered AI strategy will not only navigate disruption but emerge stronger and more agile.
Are you facing similar challenges or successes with AI adoption at your company? We’d love to hear your experience. Reach out to Mark (mark.unrein@luckie.com) if you’d like to discuss navigating AI transformation at your organization.
