Rethinking AI for Smarter Marketing

The Guest

For over seven years, Mike Kaput has been on the front lines of AI in marketing—decoding, demystifying, and delivering insights that help brands and agencies stay ahead of the curve. As Chief Content Officer at the Marketing AI Institute, he’s not just talking about AI—he’s shaping the conversation. Co-author of the book Marketing Artificial Intelligence, Mike is one of the most trusted voices in the space, known for cutting through the noise and turning AI breakthroughs into actionable strategies. His background as an editor, journalist, and PR consultant gives him a unique perspective on how AI is transforming the marketing landscape. Today, he's here to help us understand the revolutionary impact of AI and AI agents and what they mean for the future of marketing.

The Biggest Misconception of AI in Marketing

The idea that AI is too technical or too advanced is a myth. “The biggest misconception is that you’ve missed the boat. There’s so much you can do right this second.”

“There’s so much noise, so much hype in AI right now,” explains Mike. “It’s like drinking from a fire hose. No one, including myself, can keep up 100%, but that’s no excuse for not figuring out how AI will impact your job, your business, your agency.”

Many marketers engage with AI-related content but haven’t actually implemented AI in their work. “It still shocks me how many people haven’t built three to five robust custom GPTs for their role, or explored tools like Deep Research or NotebookLM that could dramatically save them time,” he says.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s Now

Kaput’s book, Marketing Artificial Intelligence, outlines AI’s future in business. Two years after its release, he reflects on its predictions.

“I’m pleasantly surprised with how well the book holds up. Sure, we missed a few big developments—no book can cover everything. But the frameworks and trajectories are more relevant today than ever.”

His core advice remains: focus on tangible AI use cases that are immediately applicable. 

“People are still not doing this, and that excites me because of the opportunity, but it’s also frustrating. If today’s AI is the worst AI we will ever use, imagine what’s coming.”

The Experimentation Gap: Why Marketers Hesitate

Marketers love the idea of experimentation, but in practice, many avoid it.

“There’s a disconnect,” Kaput explains. “People say they A/B test, but real experimentation? That’s rare. And now, with AI, they have tools that can accelerate curiosity, but they don’t set aside time to use them.”

His advice? Start small. “Figure out what you know best and integrate AI into that. You don’t have to drop everything. Begin by automating small, repetitive tasks, and reinvest that time into further AI exploration.”

The Overlooked Use Case: AI for Deep Research

One of the most powerful yet underutilized AI capabilities in marketing today is deep research.

“Google and OpenAI both launched tools called ‘Deep Research.’ They scour dozens, sometimes hundreds of sources to generate research briefs. If you’re in marketing and not using these, stop what you’re doing and explore them.”

He emphasizes that these tools can dramatically streamline research for content, campaigns, and strategy development. “It’s like having a dedicated research team, but at a fraction of the cost.”

AI Agents: The Next Phase of Marketing Automation

The AI landscape is shifting from tools that assist to tools that act. AI agents represent the next major leap.

“With AI agents, you don’t simply input a command and wait for a response. These systems can take a goal and autonomously execute tasks to achieve it.”

Kaput gives an example: “OpenAI’s Deep Research tool doesn’t need you to tell it how to conduct research. You just specify what you need, and it figures out the rest.”

This shift is monumental. AI is evolving from a passive assistant to an active participant in business workflows.

Orchestrating AI: The Future Marketing Organization

As AI agents become more specialized, businesses will need to rethink how they manage them.

“We’re entering an era where marketing professionals are more like conductors than executors,” he says. “An agency of the future could be one human managing 10,000 AI agents, each specialized in different tasks.”

This means understanding AI at a deeper level. “Marketers who take the time now to develop AI literacy will be in the best position to lead.”

The One Piece of AI Advice Every Marketer Needs

Kaput’s final recommendation is simple yet powerful:

“This is the year to get your AI house in order. Start with personal use cases. Make a list of everything you do daily—don’t even think about AI yet. Just document your work. That document will serve as a roadmap for AI integration. Once you know what your tasks are, you can start finding ways to automate them. It’ll save you time and make your AI adoption strategic rather than chaotic.”

AGI might still be a way off, but AI in marketing is already here. The question isn’t whether it will impact your work, but how prepared you are to use it effectively. As Kaput puts it, “This technology is too consequential to ignore. Figure it out now, or risk being left behind.”

The Links

Marketing AI Institute: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/
Mike Kaput on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekaput/

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