Observed Signal · Apr 1, 2026 · Survey · Source: https://martech.org/feed/ · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Survey: AI Increases Marketing Budgets, Teams, and Stacks
A Semrush survey of 1,008 U.S. marketing budget decision-makers finds AI is driving increased investment and organizational change rather than widespread cost-cutting. About 42% of marketers report budget increases attributed to AI while 16% report decreases and 28% report no meaningful impact. Many respondents say AI has prompted reallocation of spend, with over 40% reporting major changes in where money is directed. Martech stacks are still growing: roughly one-third say their stacks increased slightly and another quarter say they grew significantly, even as many organizations replace certain point tools with AI. Headcount trends show expansion too — about a third report significant team growth and another quarter report smaller increases. Larger-budget teams (>$500,000) are more likely to have replaced many tools with AI. The study frames AI as redistributing resources and accelerating marketing operations rather than primarily reducing costs.
The survey shows measurable shifts in marketing budgets, martech stacks and headcount driven by AI — information important to vendors, agencies and media buyers for planning product offerings, go-to-market and resourcing.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Semrush conducted a survey of 1,008 U.S. marketing budget decision-makers.
- 42% of marketers say AI increased their budgets; 16% report budget decreases; 28% report no meaningful impact.
- Over 40% of marketers report major changes in budget allocation because of AI; another 28% report smaller shifts.
- About one-third of marketers say their martech stack increased slightly over the past year and another quarter report significant growth.
- Roughly one-third of teams report significant headcount growth attributed to AI, while only a small percentage report reductions; organizations managing more than $500,000 are likelier to replace many tools with AI.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Survey: AI-Forward Marketing Teams Are Hiring More
A survey of more than 1,000 marketing budget decision-makers by Exploding Topics finds that marketing teams adopting AI are more likely to increase headcount than cut it. Overall, 60.12% of surveyed teams expanded headcount in the past 12 months while 8.9% reduced it; among teams doubling down on AI, 82.36% reported increasing hiring. The report also finds widespread scaling of AI-generated content and frequent replacement of existing tools with AI, suggesting that AI adoption shifts work toward strategy, governance, tool management, and quality oversight rather than broad job elimination. The survey report was last updated April 1, 2026.
Survey: AI Search Rapidly Shifts Marketing Budgets
Branch’s AI Search and Discovery: Enterprise Benchmark Report, based on a survey of 300 enterprise senior marketing executives, finds rapid adoption and budget reallocation toward AI-driven search. Respondents report AI search increased traffic share (15%) while traditional SEO rose 8% year-over-year; 89% said AI search improved overall marketing performance. In 2026, 65% of surveyed teams plan to dedicate at least 25% of marketing budgets to AI search (28% plan >50%), and 87% expect to be selling via AI within the year. The report also highlights notable concerns—data privacy, accuracy, workforce impact and long-term economics—despite broadly positive sentiment.
AI Search Concerns Drive Higher Media Budgets, CMOs Say
Marketers are leveraging concerns about AI search's impact on consumer behavior to justify increased media budgets and brand-building investments. A survey by Dept found 61% of US consumers used AI assistants for shopping research in the past three months. Advertisers in high-consideration categories like insurance, autos, and running shoes are particularly vulnerable to AI-driven shifts in search behavior. Instead of focusing solely on GEO tactics, CMOs are arguing for bigger upper-funnel budgets to shore up brand equity and awareness, which they see as crucial for maintaining visibility in AI-generated results. The IAB revised its US ad spend growth forecast upward to 12.3%, partly due to marketers investing more in AI search performance. Examples include State Farm's sports campaign, Mercedes-Benz's tennis-focused ads, and Hoka's marathon sponsorship.
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