Will the data skills gap hinder marketers’ ability to integrate AI?

As AI continues to entrench itself within more businesses daily operations, the demand among brands for employees adept with AI is rapidly increasing.

However, for UK marketers, there could be a substantial shortage of talent with AI skills, according to new research.

Data released in the fourth edition of the Braze Customer Engagement Review, a report combining data from Braze’s platform with the results of a global survey developed in partnership with Wakefield Research, found a lack of data skills as one of the top three issues for customer engagement. .

Among the senior marketers surveyed, 92% are eager to embrace AI, but more than half (52%) identified a lack of data skills among marketing talent.

A further 57% cited the integration of AI into marketing practices may be hindered by internal data scientists or business intelligence teams lacking an understanding of marketing priorities as a challenge. This issue may prove a difficult one for marketers to deal with while trying to learn necessary AI skills themselves.

However, although many marketers may not be ready to incorporate AI into their day-to-day work lifes, they are by and large preparing to do so anyway.

Per the report, UK marketers are leveraging or planning to leverage AI for several tasks, including optimising strategies in real-time (53%); generating creative ideas (50%); automating repetitive tasks (49%); enhancing data analysis (49%); personalising campaign messaging (46%); and utilising predictive analytics (43%).

'The problem is going to get worse in the future'

James Manderson, SVP of Customer Success at Braze, said: “With AI at the forefront of the agenda across markets, it is essential brands are utilising it in the right way, or risk being left behind.

“To capitalise on the potential, we must boost the education of data skills, both in our marketing education at university and in the workplace. The problem is going to get worse in the future if marketers are not built to understand and manage data correctly.

“This is not just important for marketers, but should also be built into the skill set of CEOs and CMOs. A lack of crucial AI skills means businesses are missing out on the key opportunity to not only harness these skills, but ensure they are being used correctly.”