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63% of Marketers leveraging AI use generative while 54% use predictive AI is marketers’ top priority – and biggest headache
Marketers are prioritising AI implementation over all other initiatives this year, according to new Salesforce research in the ninth State of Marketing report.
With customer standards for personalisation continuing to rise year after year and marketing technologies constantly evolving, marketers need to act fast to keep up. Many see AI as a hack to do just that: a go-to for sharper personalization and efficiency, and now, creativity at scale with generative AI. Yet data challenges — from unification, integration, and security — are slowing marketing teams down.
With insights from over 4,800 marketers across 29 countries, the State of Marketing report highlights how top-performing marketers are outdoing their competition by embracing AI and other new opportunities while mitigating these data, trust, and security challenges.
Marketers pursue more tailored engagement amid rising customer expectations
Increasingly, marketers aim for more customised experiences based on detailed data like individual behaviours, preferences, interactions, or other specific indicators. And they are looking to AI to deliver more insights, predictions, automated workflows, and content. As a result, marketers consider having a data and AI strategy of utmost importance. On average, today’s marketers are able to fully personalise across five channels, with high-performers tailoring six channels and underperformers managing to fully personalise across only three.
Channels where content is easy to test and iterate on the fly, like mobile messaging, email marketing, and social media, see the most advanced personalization efforts. On the other hand, channels demanding more production time and planning like audio, organic search, and TV/OTT have the most work to do with 43%, 42%, and 41% seeing full personalization, respectively.
Marketers rev up AI adoption, but underperformers stall out in the evaluation stage
Marketers are pulled in many directions, and are focused on improving AI adoption. However, they’re struggling to actually implement AI and create cohesive journeys, among other difficulties.
Ironically, AI could be one tool to help teams overcome such challenges. Salesforce Chief Marketing Officer Ariel Kelman highlights how companies are entering “a new era of AI, catalysed by the generative gold rush,” and that the technology is being embraced by marketing organisations. As he sees it, “marketers are leading the charge by embracing rapid advancements in the technology to better connect with customers and prospects.”
Marketers are eager to implement AI into their own work streams: 75% are either experimenting with or have fully implemented AI in their operations. A closer look reveals that the embrace of the technology varies by performance level.
The majority of high- and moderate-performing teams are already rigorously testing, tweaking, and incorporating AI into their operations. Still, more than one-third of underperformers have yet to graduate from the consideration phase. In fact, high-performing marketing teams are 2.5x more likely than underperformers to have fully integrated AI into their operations. Until underperformers pivot from passive planning to hands-on action, AI’s advantages will continue to elude them.
Marketers embrace AI to predict, create, and integrate at scale
Sixty-three percent of marketers leveraging AI say they use generative while just over half (54%) are using predictive. And despite its relative novelty, generative AI use cases already rank among marketers’ favourites alongside predictive applications. As a result, teams are harnessing both types of AI for critical use cases like automating customer interactions and generating content — activities that will augment creativity and accelerate productivity.
Despite AI enthusiasm, concerns about trusted data remain
Compared to their peers in other departments, marketers are especially concerned about falling behind on generative AI adoption. Eighty-eight percent of marketers worry about missing out on generative AI’s benefits, compared to 78% of sales and 73% of service colleagues.
Even so, senior marketers remain cautious, citing concerns such as data and job security. Compared to their peers further up the corporate ladder, on-the-ground team leads are particularly wary about job stability. One in four team leads are worried AI will replace their job, compared to one in five executives. For their part, CMOs are most concerned with data leaks, with 41% citing data exposure as their top concern compared to 29% of VPs and 32% of team leads.
While data leaks are marketers’ number one generative AI concern, not having enough of the right data falls at number two. To capture enough valuable information, marketers are primarily leveraging customer service data and transaction data, showing an effort to partner with colleagues across sales and commerce departments to accomplish this. However, unification of that and other data — such as unstructured data from emails, NFTs, and more — remains a challenge.
In fact, only 31% of marketers are fully satisfied with their ability to unify customer data sources. What’s more, only approximately half of marketers say their systems automatically and regularly update with data from other departments.
Without fully integrated data, marketers’ ability to derive sharp insights is blunted, leaving core activities like analysing performance, suppressing audiences, and building campaigns powered by out-of-date or incomplete information. It even jeopardises marketers’ top priority: effectively leveraging AI.
A closer look at the survey results shows that fully integrated data is more common among high-performing marketing teams, suggesting that investing in unification can give marketers an edge. As Kelman explains, “a strong data foundation will be critical to AI success for marketers as they work to bring together and unify customer data for real-time activation.”
TD Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading technology distributor, has once again raised the bar for the continent’s digital transformation journey by attaining the ISO 42001 (Artificial Intelligence Management Systems) and ISO 27701 (Privacy Information Management Systems) certifications.
These globally recognized certifications, which set the highest benchmarks for responsible AI deployment and data privacy, position TD Africa as a pioneer in preparing Africa for an AI-powered future.
Speaking on the milestone, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh, CEO of TD Africa, stated: “These certifications are not just badges of compliance; they reflect our deep commitment to building Africa’s digital resilience with trust, governance, and accountability at the core. At TD Africa, we believe Africa must not remain a passive consumer of global innovation but must actively shape and co-create solutions that reflect our unique realities. From financial inclusion to agriculture, healthcare, and digital governance, AI presents limitless opportunities—our role is to ensure Africa is prepared to harness them responsibly.”
ISO 42001 provides the world’s first governance framework for the ethical and transparent deployment of artificial intelligence, ensuring solutions align with human values and global best practices. On the other hand, ISO 27701 guarantees that TD Africa manages personal data with unmatched integrity and security. This is an essential pillar in a time where data privacy is increasingly under threat.
For nearly three decades, TD Africa has anticipated and shaped the future of technology on the continent, not by chasing trends, but by building enduring structures. Beyond its certifications, the company has invested in world-class infrastructure, resilient distribution systems across 47 African countries, and a thriving technology ecosystem. Its TecHerdemy program has empowered over 400 women in technology, further cementing its position as a catalyst for inclusive digital growth.
With trusted partnerships with global technology leaders, TD Africa has consistently delivered on its promise to bridge global innovation with African realities. The attainment of these ISO certifications reinforces its ability to responsibly distribute and support advanced AI technologies across its vast network of resellers.
As the world prepares for the dawn of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) with breakthroughs such as GPT-5, TD Africa is ensuring that Africa is not left behind. The certifications demonstrate the company’s readiness to give Africa not just access to innovation, but the muscle, discipline, and confidence to use it sustainably.
“This achievement is not just about TD Africa,” Mrs. Ekeh added. “It is a milestone for Africa. The global AI conversation cannot be left to Silicon Valley or Beijing alone. Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Kigali, and Johannesburg must also have a strong voice. And TD Africa is proud to amplify that voice. We are no longer waiting for tomorrow to happen; we are preparing tomorrow, today.”
With this bold move, TD Africa has reaffirmed its legacy of leadership in technology distribution, while signaling a new era where Africa plays a decisive role in the global digital renaissance.
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s this: life today runs on data. From morning Instagram scrolls to Zoom classes and late-night Netflix binges, we’re constantly plugged in, streaming, scrolling, and sharing. But if you’ve ever wondered, “Why does my data finish so fast?” or seen that dreaded low-balance pop-up just when you need it most, you’re not alone.
At MTN’s Customer Engagement Day 2025, Ugonwa Nwoye, MTN’s Chief Customer Relations and Experience Officer, addressed this reality in a way that felt both practical and deeply relatable. She spoke about how essential data has become, calling it the lifeblood of modern living. “If you don’t have data in today’s world, you feel cut off. Isolated. That’s how important connectivity is,” she said, capturing how many of us feel when we’re disconnected even for a moment.
Her words struck a chord, especially as she shared candidly about her own experiences. She reminded everyone that many apps continue to run in the background, consuming data without our knowledge, and how video-heavy habits, such as endless TikTok reels or video calls, can quickly drain data bundles.
But the heart of Ugonwa’s message wasn’t just about the challenges; it was about empowerment. She emphasised that MTN’s goal is not simply to sell data but to help customers use it better. She explained how MTN is equipping people with the tools they already have on their phones to track usage, teaching simple ways to control consumption and sharing practical tips for managing apps more effectively. “We’re not just telling you your data is finished,” she said. “We want you to know how it was used and how to make it last longer. It’s about giving you control.”
What stood out most was her willingness to listen. Throughout the session, she engaged directly with real complaints and questions from the audience, from why smaller bundles seem to finish faster, to teachers who spend entire days on Zoom, to concerns about coverage in certain areas. Ugonwa addressed each one, acknowledging frustrations and committing to follow up. “We hear you. From data issues to service gaps, we’re taking notes and acting. Your hustle is important to us, and our job is to enable it,” she reassured the room.
Her approach made it clear that MTN isn’t shying away from customer concerns but leaning into them. In a world where data has become as necessary as food and water, Ugonwa’s session felt like a much-needed reminder that while technology connects us, what really matters is how well it serves the people who rely on it every day. As she closed, the message was simple but powerful: MTN sees you, it hears you, and it is working to make sure your digital life is not just connected but smarter and more empowering.
Paradigm Initiative is organising a capacity-building workshop to empower government prosecutors to prosecute cases committed through or facilitated by digital technologies, specifically examining new Artificial Intelligence (AI) trends in alignment with constitutional provisions and international human rights standards.
The two-day workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, is being held under the theme, “Prosecution in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” It is organised by Paradigm Initiative with support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the Stemming the Tide of Abuse in Nigeria’s Digital Space (STANDS) Project. Drawing from new trends in the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital systems into public administration and criminal investigations, it aims to find a balance through deep examination and understanding of how these technologies function, the new risks they pose, and the necessary safeguards to ensure that citizens’ fundamental rights remain protected.
This workshop comes at a crucial time, as criminal procedure laws have yet to fully catch up with the realities of the digital age and the evolving ways in which offences are committed. Increasingly, digital platforms are weaponised against victims, violating their privacy and exposing them to harm. With emerging technologies, these threats are becoming more sophisticated, placing mounting pressure on prosecutors to deliver results.
Speaking at the workshop’s opening, Khadijah El-Usman, Paradigm Initiative’s Senior Programmes Officer for Anglophone West Africa and lead on the workshop, highlighted that failure to build this capacity now risks widening the gap between the speed of technological change and the legal system’s ability to respond. This could lead to ill-equipped prosecutors, unintended violations of rights during investigations, and a further loss of public trust in the justice system.
She added, “By investing in targeted training, we can ensure prosecutors are not only keeping pace with emerging threats but are also positioned to advocate for evolving laws in the space.”
In his remarks, the deputy ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy to Nigeria, Robert Sonnemans, praised the way in which Nigeria is embracing the digital age and the opportunities that come with it. “Artificial intelligence is a clear example of both promise and risk, holding immense potential to strengthen investigations and improve access to justice, but also pressing questions on how to ensure fairness and prevent bias or misuse.
The Deputy Director, Department of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Barrister Ali Baba Rijaiu, urged participants to embrace the training, in his words, “the work we do shapes the trust of citizens in the justice system. If we rise to the demand of this digital age, we will not only defeat crime, we will also safeguard freedom and show that justice in Nigeria is not left behind by technology but strengthened by it.”
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