PhotoShelter has published new research suggesting marketing teams are producing content faster with artificial intelligence, even as many still struggle to improve engagement and stand out.
The report, AI in Marketing: The Hidden Cost of Faster Content, is based on a survey of 388 full-time marketing and creative professionals in the United States. It describes AI as an increasingly common part of day-to-day content workflows, while pointing to ongoing friction in review processes and concerns about sameness in output.
Overall, 69% of respondents said they now use AI in their asset and content workflows, up from 59% in 2023. More than half (54%) described AI as an essential creative partner.
Even with rising adoption, respondents reported persistent challenges after content goes live. Four in 10 (41%) said they have difficulty driving engagement. Separately, 46% said they struggle to reach wider audiences, and 45% reported difficulty standing out from competitors.
"AI has removed many of the barriers that once slowed down content creation," said Andrew Fingerman, CEO of PhotoShelter. "But speed alone doesn't create impact. Brands still need originality, human judgment and strong creative direction to produce content audiences actually trust, relate to and engage with."
Usage patterns
The report breaks down how teams apply AI. Written content is the most common use case: among marketers using AI, 87% rely on it for writing. Idea generation follows, with 71% using AI at that stage.
At the same time, many respondents said easier creation could increase the volume of similar material competing for attention. Four in five (80%) worry AI will flood audiences with generic content.
The findings reflect a growing debate inside marketing departments. AI tools can cut the time needed for drafting, repurposing and producing variations, but teams still need to maintain a distinct brand voice and consistent look across channels.
Workflow delays
The research also points to bottlenecks beyond content generation. Nearly half of respondents (46%) said content gets stuck in review, and 41% said it stalls in approvals.
Respondents linked those delays to commercial impact: 70% said review and approval slowdowns affect revenue-generating work. The report frames this as a constraint that persists even when AI speeds up first drafts or initial assets.
Marketing teams often coordinate across multiple stakeholders, including brand, legal, compliance and product groups. The survey suggests internal governance remains a major source of time loss, regardless of how quickly content is created.
Different experiences
The report also highlights a gap between leadership views and the experience of individual contributors. Executives were more likely to report measurable AI benefits than those working through review cycles and revisions, which it characterises as a disconnect between perceived gains and the day-to-day effort required to move work from draft to publication.
That contrast matters for implementation, as organisations decide where to apply AI beyond writing and ideation. The report suggests adoption may need to extend into operational processes to shorten cycle times from creation through distribution.
Time saved
Despite the concerns, respondents associated AI with reclaimed time. More than three quarters (78%) said AI frees up time for meaningful work, and 63% said it reduces manual tasks.
Respondents estimated AI saves about 15 hours per week. Six of those hours were tied to content generation alone. The remaining time savings suggest broader use across adjacent tasks such as channel adaptation, basic editing and early-stage production work.
Human oversight
The research also emphasised the continued role of people in creative and brand control. Almost all respondents (96%) said human oversight is critical to preserving originality in campaigns.
That view sits alongside the finding that 54% consider AI an essential creative partner. Together, the figures suggest many teams see AI as integrated into their process, but still rely on staff to set direction, make final decisions and guard against repetitive or off-brand output.
PhotoShelter operates in digital asset management, which includes tools for organising, storing and distributing media and other brand materials. Founded in 2005, it says it manages more than 6.7 billion assets and supports nearly 100 million annual downloads. It lists customers including the NFL, MLB, Purdue University and Wendy's.
In comments accompanying the report, PhotoShelter pointed to workflow automation as a next focus for marketing teams beyond initial content creation.
"AI has made it easier than ever to create content, but marketing teams are still managing the rest of the process manually, when they don't need to," said Christina Kyriazi, SVP of Marketing at PhotoShelter. "They are missing an opportunity to use AI to automate the workflows around content, like organizing and tagging assets, routing approvals and reducing repetitive work. Eliminating the mundane allows creative teams to focus on the ideas that actually drive engagement."
The survey was conducted between August and September 2025 and focused on US-based professionals across brand, social media, communications, marketing and graphic design roles at companies of different sizes and industries.