AI Is Changing the CMO's Role
destination CRM, Tuesday, April 21st, 2026
AI is reshaping the CMO's responsibilities from day-to-day program management to enterprise growth orchestration.
According to new Forrester Research, artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming the chief marketing officer's role by shifting focus from managing campaigns to orchestrating enterprise-wide growth strategy. CMOs will become growth orchestrators making high-level investment decisions, brand stewards governing AI agents representing their brands, and leaders who leverage technology rather than headcount to scale marketing.
The most successful CMOs are customer-obsessed change leaders who adopt AI earlier and more aggressively, though they must balance automation with the human touch. Nearly 40 percent of B2C and 63 percent of B2B marketing leaders are respectively increasing technology spending or slowing hiring as they reassess talent needs in this AI-driven landscape.