35% of CMOs are stuck in AI pilot purgatory, new research reveals

Report by Making Science finds CMOs risk stagnation, as integration challenges, rising channel complexity, and creative inefficiency block AI progress

LONDON, UK [September 30th 2025]: Making Science, a global consulting firm specialising in AI-powered digital acceleration and performance marketing, has released new research based on a 2025 commissioned survey conducted on its behalf by Forrester Consulting that highlights a striking paradox in AI adoption by US B2C marketing leaders. While 95% of CMOs report positive returns from AI implementation in commerce media campaigns, only 17% use AI as a foundational capability across their marketing operations.

The independent survey of 269 CMOs at US B2C companies with annual media spend above $50 million reveals that although AI tools are widely available (80% of CMOs report access to them), most organisations remain unable to scale beyond isolated pilots. More than a third (35%) are stuck in what the research calls “pilot purgatory,” where AI shows promise in some channels but fails to reach enterprise-wide adoption.

The study highlights the complexity driving this gap. Over half of CMOs (57%) are managing seven or more active channels, while three-quarters (77%) work with two or more external agencies. Nearly half (46%) place the orchestration burden on in-house teams, but only 29% reuse creative efficiently across channels, despite demand for content having multiplied at least three times.

Despite these challenges, investment momentum is strong. Two-thirds (66%) of CMOs plan to invest in AI-powered marketing platforms in the next 12 months. In making these decisions, they prioritise vendor reputation, support, and ongoing innovation (61%), the potential for return on investment (56%).

“This research reveals a critical challenge for CMOs: while the value of AI is clear, the lack of strategic orchestration is a major roadblock. Integration complexity and siloed processes continue to hold CMOs back,” said José Antonio Martínez Aguilar (JAMA), Founder and CEO of Making Science. “With marketing teams navigating an ever-growing number of channels and formats, the ability to unify creative, media, and data into a cohesive system will be the deciding factor for who truly breaks through and who falls further behind in the competitive landscape.

“AI has moved beyond experimentation and is now central to marketing performance: the next wave of AI adoption will not be defined by access to tools, but by the ability to coordinate them across channels and teams.” 

The findings also reveal that real-time optimisation across channels is where most of the CMOs (67%) see the greatest value in AI above creative production at scale, centralised planning or workflow automation. Together, these priorities outline a clear path forward: unifying operations through orchestration rather than adding more disconnected tools.