At Cannes Lions, where the global marketing industry gathers each year to explore what's next, one topic unsurprisingly dominated the conversation: artificial intelligence.
AI is already widely used across marketing teams - but according to strategy and management consulting firm McKinsey's latest research, that doesn't mean organisations are truly ready for it.
Behind the excitement sits a more complicated reality: anxiety about jobs, uncertainty about how to adapt, and a gap between using AI and actually seeing value from it.
McKinsey's report published during Cannes Lions, titled From anxiety to advantage: A marketing organisation that thrives with AI, draws on a survey of more than 500 marketers alongside interviews with senior leaders.
It shows a clear disconnect - most marketers are using AI regularly and are excited about its potential, but many are also worried about what it means for their roles.
