How CMOs are using AI to change marketing

Listen Labs and Profound's latest research surveyed 100 CMOs across Tech, FinServ, Healthcare, and Consulting to find AI has crossed from experimentation into operations. Claude leads for strategy and long-form work (44%), 22% of CMOs now start vendor research in an answer engine ahead of Google, and 47% run structured AI workflows rather than one-off prompts. Access the full report to see all four shifts redefining the CMO's stack.

July 14, 2026

Four shifts redefining the CMO's stack

AI is now need-to-have.

90% of CMOs use answer engines daily, and 85% say usage climbed in the past 6 to 12 months. The 10% who haven't made the shift are now the exception, not the norm.

CMOs are building model stacks.

Rather than standardizing on one tool, leaders route each task to whichever model handles it best. Claude leads for strategy and long-form work at 44%, and also leads analysis and research at 21%, while ChatGPT leads content and copy at 29% and Gemini leads Google-ecosystem and data tasks at 23%.

LLMs are forming the consideration set.

22% of CMOs now start vendor research in an answer engine, ahead of Google or another search engine (16%) and behind only peer recommendations (49%). As one respondent put it, brands now have to worry about more than where they rank in search. What counts is how credibly they show up in AI-generated answers.

Systems are replacing prompts.

47% of CMOs now run structured AI workflows and agents rather than one-off prompts. 28% require AI fluency when hiring, and 32% expect team restructuring or smaller teams as the marketing org gets redrawn around AI.