Callan Consulting<\/a> in April 2026, shows that artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation and is now embedded across most marketing operations.<\/p>\nThe report identifies more than 70 distinct AI applications: from lead generation and personalisation to sales forecasting, market intelligence, and content creation.<\/p>\n
According to the findings, two-thirds of respondents, who were senior marketing specialists and organisations, say AI has a \u201cstrong\u201d or \u201cvery strong\u201d impact on their marketing teams, double the level reported a year earlier. At the same time, half of the organisations have already restructured their marketing functions around AI, integrating it into content, research, campaign execution, and analytics.<\/p>\n
However, creator economy experts warn that rapid adoption may have come without fully considering long-term implications, and that the first signs of backlash are already visible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ad industry became a playground for AI tools,\u201d said Donatas Smailys, CEO and co-founder of Billo, one of the largest creator marketing platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly adopters rushed to integrate everything, but we didn\u2019t and approached it more cautiously. A year in, the backlash against AI content is the strongest it\u2019s been. Stepping back might be the right move now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Human\u2011Only Marketing Is Back<\/h2>\n
The report itself highlights a growing downside: overreliance on AI-generated content. Large volumes of similar outputs are already entering the market, increasing noise and reducing differentiation.<\/p>\n
It warns that repeated reuse of AI-generated material risks creating \u201ccopies of copies,\u201d gradually lowering content quality and originality across the ecosystem.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI is no longer a differentiator. Now everyone uses it, so the opposite is happening: human creators and real creativity are becoming premium,\u201d added Smailys.<\/p>\n
According to Smailys, the widespread use of AI-generated content has also shifted perception in advertising.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen everyone started using AI visuals, advertising became \u2018cheap.\u2019 Even without labels, it\u2019s often obvious what\u2019s AI-generated, and it creates endless, low-quality content.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some brands have already begun responding to this shift by explicitly positioning themselves against AI-generated visuals.<\/p>\n
Back to Human: \u2018No AI\u2019 is Turning into a Marketing Advantage<\/h2>\n
In a recent example, Aerie<\/a>, a brand owned by American Eagle Outfitters, stated in a campaign that it would not use AI-generated bodies or people.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen tools like Sora first appeared, AI content worked because it was unexpected,\u201d said Smailys. \u201cOnce it became the norm, the impact faded. Human content is exclusive again. Brands that see this early are taking the lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report also points to structural challenges. While marketers report improvements in speed, output, and cost efficiency (in some cases up to 2-3x productivity gains), few are able to measure AI\u2019s direct impact using standardized metrics.<\/p>\n
According to Smailys, platform dynamics may play a key role in what comes next.<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial media platforms that introduce clearer signals through detection, labelling, or prioritisation can shift value back toward higher-quality, human-led content.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that Billo has maintained a focus on human creators despite broader experimentation with AI-generated avatars.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur data already shows it. The shift back to human-first content is happening,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
The report concludes that while AI will continue to expand across marketing, its long-term effectiveness will depend on how organizations balance automation with human expertise, as differentiation increasingly shifts away from technology itself and toward how it is used.<\/p>\n
About Billo<\/strong><\/h2>\nBillo is the leading UGC marketplace founded in 2019 that connects brands with creators to produce high-performing social video ads. It is based in San Francisco, CA, and is led by the co-founder and CEO, Donatas Smailys. The platform combines the power of UGC content with a streamlined production process, helping brands increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost conversions with authentic creator videos on TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and other platforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n