Clare, Ireland – January 2026 — Move Forward Strategies (MFS) today announced the release of its latest research report, The 2026 State of AI and B2B Marketing, which delves into the role that AI is playing in B2B marketing today.

The report is based on a survey of 277 B2B marketing leaders conducted in late 2025. At a time when there is something of an AI arms race developing, there are some outstanding questions about the role of AI in B2B marketing - specifically around adoption, limitations, and more strategic use cases.

“Our goal was to get a clearer picture on the way AI tools are being deployed in B2B marketing,” said Cóbhan Phillipson, founder at Move Forward Strategies. “There are enormous benefits AI can bring, but what we wanted to get a handle on is where exactly AI fits in.”

Key findings from the report include:

AI adoption in B2B marketing is accelerating - particularly in the area of content creation
- 63% of B2B marketing leaders believe AI has already had a significant impact on marketing.
- 71% expect to increase investment in AI for marketing over the next 12 months.
- 71% of organizations are now using AI in content creation, raising concerns around content sameness and AI slop.

Tactical execution is the most prevalent AI use case while strategic doubts emerge
- Doubts remain about the role of AI in B2B marketing strategy with only 44% of respondents expressing confidence in AI for supporting strategic decisions.
- 56% of respondents see the greatest AI value in tactical execution.
- 78% of B2B marketing leaders describe the role of AI in their marketing organization as either a productivity assistant or tactical execution engine.
- There are certain areas of B2B marketing strategy that are still considered out of bounds for AI with only 6% of respondents trusting AI to contribute to positioning.

AI hesitancy for the most strategic use cases among B2B marketing leaders
- The most-cited AI limitation by B2B marketing leaders is strategic thinking at 57% followed by creativity at 44% and accuracy at 39%.
- 88% of respondents stated that AI output still requires significant human correction.

The biggest issue highlighted by the research is the fact that AI spend is rising at a time when a certain hesitancy is emerging around the use of AI in the more strategic B2B marketing use cases.

"There are certain questions that start to emerge around the direction of B2B marketing in general," added Phillipson. "With so much emphasis placed on AI adoption and all the efficiency possibilities available, broader questions around AI and its strategic application are being overlooked."

The full 2026 State of AI and B2B Marketing report is available to access at:
https://moveforwardstrategies.com/blog/new-research-the-state-of-ai-and-b2b-marketing/

About Move Forward Strategies
Move Forward Strategies is a boutique B2B marketing agency with experience in creating and executing revenue-generating campaigns at companies ranging from rapid growth startups to F500 companies.
Media Contact:
Cóbhan Phillipson
Founder
Move Forward Strategies
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://moveforwardstrategies.com/