UK marketers are rapid-adopters of artificial intelligence, with 84% now using AI tools in their daily roles, compared to a global average of 66%.

That’s according to HubSpot’s 2025 State of AI in Marketing Report, which offers new insight into how AI is reshaping workflows, team structures and performance metrics across the UK marketing landscape.

This is no longer early-stage experimentation. For most UK marketers, AI is now a core part of how campaigns are built, refined and delivered. Yet even as adoption increases, the findings also highlight a deliberate, measured approach – where marketers are keen to realise the benefits of automation and ideation, but maintain firm control over final output.

AI is saving time – and redefining creative workflows
Most UK marketers report saving at least one hour per week on tasks like data analysis and reporting (cited by 86% of respondents), media content creation (76%), automating direct brand messaging or conversational marketing (70%) and market research (67%).

When applied across multiple tasks, these savings can quickly add up – often equating to a full workday regained each week.

These gains are fueling new ways of working. Rather than replacing traditional skills, AI is supporting and accelerating the creative process:

• Over half of UK marketers (51%) say they have used image or design generators in their role in the past 12 months.

• 39% say they have used video or animation generators, and 38% have used voice or narration generators over the same period.

• Beyond specific tools, UK marketers are also using generative AI to support early-stage creative work – 42% are currently using it to brainstorm ideas, and 36% use it to build outlines for marketing content.

But marketers are not fully handing over the creative reins. When using generative AI to write copy, almost all UK marketers (97%) make some form of edits before it goes live, with over a quarter (26%) making significant edits to the text. The data suggests that AI is being used to accelerate creative production without replacing human voice or intent.

Performance, not novelty, is defining AI’s real value

AI tools are being assessed like any other business investment – by impact, according to the report. 76% of UK marketers report a positive return on investment from AI and automation, with the strongest performance in content and customer engagement:

• 79% of UK marketers report positive ROI from brand chatbots

• 70% see positive returns from AI-generated social media content

• 67% see positive returns from long-form blog content

• 65% see positives returns from email marketing

A key factor in these returns is integration.

Ninety-one percent of UK marketers are leveraging AI tools that are embedded in platforms and software they already use – such as writing tools in marketing software or image tools in editing platforms. Among those who use embedded AI, almost all (96%) say it has increased their overall usage of AI tools.

This indicates a maturing market: UK marketers are backing tools that fit cleanly into existing workflows. Integration and usability are outpacing innovation for its own sake.

Confidence is high – but AI’s role is carefully defined
Although AI adoption is widespread, UK marketers are adopting a balanced mindset when it comes to how the technology should be used. The majority believe AI should remain a support mechanism rather than a dominant force:

• 58% of UK marketers say people should use AI and automation in their roles, but avoid becoming overly reliant on it

• Just 18% believe AI and automation should be used as much as possible

• Almost a quarter (24%) think marketers should avoid relying on it altogether

This caution coexists with confidence: 69% of UK marketers believe they would recognise inaccurate information produced by generative AI. And while 43% expect AI to significantly reshape how they do their job in 2025, only 21% express significant concern that it could fully replace their job in the coming years.

In other words, UK marketers understand AI’s potential – but also its limits. The view is that AI should unlock scale and speed, while human oversight continues to define quality, relevance and brand voice.

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Mark Barry, HubSpot’s VP and managing director for EMEA HubSpot, commented: “UK marketers are proving that AI success isn’t about chasing hype, it’s about embedding the right tools into existing workflows to deliver meaningful value. What we’re seeing in this data is a shift from experimentation to purposeful adoption.

“AI is helping teams save time, accelerate ideation and boost performance, but it’s also being used with intention. And the UK’s marketing community is setting a powerful example of what responsible AI can look like in practice.”