AI is now table stakes for marketing operations teams. From automating tasks to reshaping how teams collaborate, it is making marketing more efficient, scalable, and data-driven. But with opportunity comes tough questions:
To find out, we asked marketing operations professionals to share their perspectives on where AI is headed and why it matters. Their feedback was inspired by a recent Marketing Ops webinar on this topic, sponsored by Allgood.
Doing more with less
For many, AI is first and foremost about efficiency—making it easier to reclaim time and reallocate resources to higher level work that requires more brainpower.
Andreia Repsold Norsa, Head of Marketing Operations at Pasqal, put it this way: “Everything regarding the implementation of AI in our day-to-day operations is about saving time and reallocating resources to higher-value work.”
“Most of the time marketing ops is a very small team, so as much as we can automate things…. (AI) makes it easier… For example, this morning I spent an hour and a half creating our thank you email for a webinar. So how would I take this time to do more strategic tasks rather than doing….the email. Creating the campaign, creating the image, embedding all the video in our recording platform and then it goes on and on.”
There’s no need to boil the ocean. “Really complicated logic-based flows don’t need to be like Sisyphus rolling the boulder”, said Chris Azuma . “Every ops person should look at their stack and ask what manual or monotonous processes could be reduced using AI.”
Shivam Sharma shared an example of how to get buy-in: automating data enrichment improves trust in the data from others. “It reduces friction elsewhere in the org because the data is cleaner from the start, and it gives confidence to others who rely on it later.” Gaining trust speeds up internal adoption so that time-saving new processes can take effect across companies.
Thoughtful use and impact measurement
While efficiency gains are appealing, many stressed that AI must be adopted with discipline and foresight.
“Understand what outcomes you’re seeking, then build the program around it”, suggests Mike Dolphin, Enterprise Sales Director at Integrate.
Kathryn Dean, Director of Marketing Ops at Tipalti, described how her team uses AI-driven tools like Allgood and emphasized the importance of being deliberate: “Be thoughtful about responsibilities, tasks, and use cases. Think through what your team’s to-do list looks like.”
The webinar speakers brought up these considerations to shape strategy and get traction across organizations:
Another recurring theme was collaboration—with AI as a bridge between different functions.
Mike Dolphin stressed that teams need frameworks to collaborate well because, as he said “you can’t do it alone.” “The ability to break it down into bite-sized pieces is critical. Bring IT into it, early on…. since IT resources required…can be fairly extensive. Being able to create effective collaboration across internal teams is critical to success.”
New Frontiers: Agents and Specialized Tools
Beyond automation into innovation
Looking ahead, some pointed to more innovative applications, from conversational agents to use cases for very specific needs.
“Everyone’s looking at AI, but the rise of specialized AI tools for different segments of the funnel is something we should be paying closer attention to,” said Chip Rodgers: He also highlighted a shift toward “reasoning versus rules on lead routing,” which he called a promising development.
JD Nelson focused on conversational AI: “The ability for a marketing ops person to chat with an AI Agent by—getting answers or building workflows in real time—that’s a real game changer.” He pointed to integrations with tools like Asana as ways to remove unnecessary interruptions: “Mundane tasks are now scalable and repeatable allowing users to focus more on strategy.”
The webinar speakers shared examples of how AI has been used across marketing ops:
Practicality over hype
While there are exciting use cases, not everyone is ready to declare that AI is a silver bullet.
Megan Prindle, Marketing Ops Consultant at MEP Marketing, offered a very grounded view: “It’s important that people in marketing ops are looking at what AI can and can’t do for their teams.” Her takeaway: it’s less about rushing into the latest platform feature and more about thoughtful exploration of what truly works.
Preparing for the long-term
AI is reshaping marketing operations in very tangible ways. Ops leaders see promise in efficiency gains, stronger sales alignment, and the rise of specialized tools, but they’re also aware of the need for structure, thoughtful adoption, and measurable outcomes.
The budget reality is that software spend is under pressure. In the near term, AI will run alongside SaaS rather than replace it, but conversations about ROI will help get buy-in and build traction.
Bottom line: as AI matures, marketing operations professionals will be the ones deciding where it creates the most impact and how to harness it for long-term transformation.
Full disclosure: An AI-based interview tool was used to gain perspectives from the people quoted (Bright Interviews from Boundless Markets).
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