Marketers turn to AI as human judgement remains key

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep – Marketing professionals are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to handle routine tasks and improve efficiency, but industry leaders say human creativity, curiosity and judgment will remain central to the profession as the technology becomes more widely adopted.

The issue will take centre stage at the ninth annual Top Marketers Club Conference, scheduled for October 2 at Tusker Brew House in Nairobi, under the theme “The AI Powered Marketer.”

Speaking during the Jam show on Capital FM, Top Marketers Club President Victor Mutua said AI is increasingly cutting across different aspects of marketing and business, but should be viewed as a tool to support professionals rather than replace them.

“AI is basically cutting across. But ideally marketers, since it’s a community for marketers and probably business leaders, it cuts across from the users to the business owners,” Mutua said.

He said AI should be considered “an aid, not a replacement,” as marketers adapt to changes in the nature of their work.

Mutua said the annual conference began as informal meetings among marketers in Upper Hill nearly a decade ago before expanding to Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Mutua said the growing adoption of AI is already changing the type of tasks marketers perform, with the technology increasingly being used for research, presentations, information processing and preparation of briefs.

“While AI will take off some jobs, before the job is gone it will first take off some tasks of your job because remember a job is an accumulation of duties,” he said.

He said automating routine responsibilities could give marketers more time to focus on areas requiring creativity, strategy and human interaction.

Belva Digital Founder Fred Kithinzi said the shift makes human judgment increasingly important as AI tools become more accessible.

“When intelligence becomes cheaper and commonplace, human judgment becomes even more important,” Kithinzi said.

“Because while AI can give you 100 ideas, somebody needs to decide which idea carries the day.”

Kithinzi said the marketer’s role is evolving as AI takes over some repetitive tasks, with curiosity, creativity and the ability to determine how an idea should be applied becoming increasingly important.

Kithinzi said Belva Digital has been developing AI-powered tools aimed at addressing practical challenges faced by businesses, including managing information and communication across multiple digital platforms.

One of the solutions is Axis by Belva, which he said is designed to bring together fragmented digital work, including information and interactions spread across different social media channels.

Kithinzi also cited work undertaken around the Kenya Pipeline Company initial public offering, where he said his team developed an AI agent to help users navigate and understand information contained in a lengthy IPO document.

He said users could ask the system questions about the IPO and receive answers based on information contained in the document, including queries about the share price, the pipeline and the company’s strategic plan.

The two speakers said this year’s conference will include a practical masterclass demonstrating how marketers can apply AI tools in their workplaces.

Kithinzi said the session will seek to move the conversation beyond discussions about AI and demonstrate how the technology can be incorporated into day-to-day work.

“We are making AI very practical, accessible and affordable in the workplace. There’s a lot of talk but we actually bring in that talk to action on Friday. Come experience our masterclass,” he said.

Mutua said the conference is open to marketers and business leaders, including professionals who have not yet started using AI in their work.

He identified learning, networking and practical exposure to AI as some of the key elements of the event, with participants expected to interact with marketers from Kenya and across the region.

The conference will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 2 at Tusker Brew House in Nairobi.