New analysis from Microsoft reveals that advertising and gross sales professionals are among the many most affected by generative AI, based mostly on an evaluation of 200,000 actual office conversations with Bing Copilot.
The analysis examined 9 months of anonymized knowledge from January to September 2024, providing a large-scale have a look at how professionals use AI of their day by day duties.
AI’s Function In Advertising & Gross sales Work
Microsoft calculated an “AI applicability rating” to measure how typically AI is used to finish or help with job-related duties and the way successfully it performs these duties.
Gross sales representatives obtained one of many highest scores (0.46), adopted intently by customer support representatives (0.44), writers and authors (0.45), and different advertising roles like:
- Technical Writers (0.38)
- Public Relations Specialists (0.36)
- Promoting Gross sales Brokers (0.36)
- Market Analysis Analysts (0.35)
Total, “Gross sales and Associated” occupations ranked highest in AI influence throughout all main job classes, adopted by computing and administrative roles.
As Microsoft researchers observe:
“The present capabilities of generative AI align most strongly with data work and communication occupations.”
Duties The place AI Performs Effectively
The research discovered AI is especially efficient at:
- Gathering info
- Writing and modifying content material
- Speaking info to others
- Supporting ongoing studying in a selected discipline
These duties typically present excessive success and satisfaction charges amongst customers.
Nonetheless, the research additionally uncovered that in 40% of conversations, the AI carried out duties completely different from what the person initially requested. For instance, when somebody asks for assist with analysis, the AI may as an alternative clarify analysis strategies reasonably than ship info.
This displays AI’s function as extra of a helper than a alternative. Because the researchers put it:
“The AI typically acts in a service function to the human as a coach, advisor, or instructor.”
Areas The place Human Energy Excels
Some advertising duties nonetheless present resistance to AI. These embody:
- Visible design and artistic work
- Strategic knowledge evaluation
- Roles that require bodily presence or in-person interplay, akin to occasion advertising or client-based gross sales
These actions persistently scored decrease for AI satisfaction and activity completion.
Schooling, Wages & Job Safety
The research discovered a weak correlation between AI influence and wages. The correlation coefficient was 0.07, indicating that AI is reshaping duties throughout earnings ranges, not simply automating low-paying jobs.
For roles requiring a Bachelor’s diploma, the typical AI applicability rating was barely greater (0.27), in comparison with 0.19 for jobs with decrease schooling necessities. This means data work might even see extra AI involvement, however not essentially alternative.
The researchers warning in opposition to assuming automation results in job loss:
“This might be a mistake, as our knowledge don’t embody the downstream enterprise impacts of recent expertise, that are very exhausting to foretell and infrequently counterintuitive.”
What You Can Do
The info helps a transparent takeaway: AI is right here to remain, however it’s not taking on each side of selling work.
Digital anthropologist Giles Crouch, quoted in protection of the research, stated:
“The dialog has gone from this worry of large job loss to: How can we get actual profit from these instruments? How will it make our work higher?”
There are a couple of methods advertising professionals can adapt, akin to:
- Sharpening expertise in areas the place AI falls quick, akin to visible creativity and strategic interpretation
- Utilizing AI as a productiveness booster for content material creation and knowledge gathering
- Positioning themselves as AI collaborators reasonably than opponents
Wanting Forward
AI is reshaping advertising by altering how work will get executed, not by eliminating roles.
As with previous technological adjustments, those that adapt and combine these instruments into their workflow might discover themselves higher positioned for long-term success.
The complete report features a detailed breakdown of occupations and activity sorts throughout the U.S. workforce.
Featured Picture: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock
