Five AI Job Titles that Marketers Better See–And Learn–In the Near Future

Marketing’s toy box has a new plaything, and seemingly everyone wants to play with it.

Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms have become all the rage, and agencies left and right are rushing to come out with their own approach. No matter if an agency’s focus is creative; no matter if it is specialized in social or traditional media. The number of announcements focused on new AI or automation entering the landscape is proof that shops are looking for SOMETHING to get ahead of their competition.

I am all for having a competitive advantage; I also like to read instructions to use new toys effectively.

What’s more, I would rather think ahead of how to better use these new tools so they gain greater acceptance and integration into strategies that clients and companies seek from us professionals.

Inevitably, some agency and in-house marketers will pursue an AI strategy with cost being the central driver. After all, why can’t ChatGPT or Bard prompts be entered by twenty-somethings who are more cost-effective than someone like me? 

Marketing, public relations and communications sit at the precipice of trust and authenticity. Cost should not play a factor with the stakes being so high.

At a time when content can be deepfaked and news can be “fake,” fortifying trust as a strategic imperative has never been more important.

To be sure, some marketers are having those conversations. But the reality will set in when we start seeing teams ineffectively integrating AI into operations. If AI is something that marketers want to more systematically integrate into operations, here are five job titles that I would expect them to hire for in the not too distant future.

Chief of AI Ethics

I bet Scarlet Johannsen would want this to be at the top of anyone’s list given OpenAI’s “utilization” of an AI version of the actress being one of its voices.

Creating a role centered on ethical usage of AI is crucial for establishing strategy, let alone one’s policy. In 2020, the Department of Defense took a first step outlining five principles–responsibility, equitability, traceability, reliability and governance–for the use and deployment of AI. It was a great first attempt (especially for government standards).

I would push a bigger envelope for this role, as organizations think more critically about the moral, legal, economic and social ramifications of using AI for their or their clients’ benefit. Defining these guideposts will go a long way for gaining greater acceptance.

AI Ombudsman

Borrowing from academia and other industries, it makes sense for agencies to hire officials who can provide guidance in surfacing and resolving issues, or to have someone in place who can shape and revise AI and automation policies. As new platforms arise, it is an agency’s responsibility to effectively use these platforms and integrate them into their agency’s operations. 

Creative and/or Content Compliance Officer

In February 2023, stock photo provider Getty Images sued Stability AI, accusing the AI company of misusing Getty photos to “train” its image generation system. Beyond obvious legal ramifications, Getty Images sent a beacon to the global marketing and technology communities to ensure images have proper licensing and copyrights.

Marketers should have dedicated compliance teams and leaders to ensure that images are being used legally; no client wants to be named in lawsuits–especially if there is early legwork that can be done to negate them.

Prompt/Search Engineer

Some teams have recognized an immediate need for dedicated search professionals to curate the best search parameters on different platforms. After all, AI platforms are predicated on what has been learned or fed into the system. This role requires someone to navigate the myriad platforms to find the most optimal resources.

Head of AI Training & Utilization

Human resources teams should have someone in charge of finding the best ways to teach account, strategy and creative professionals how to best use and integrate machine learning platforms. Merely “learning by doing” is not enough–especially when clients write those big checks to agencies.

Inevitably, there will be other roles that will–and should–enter our vernacular.

In the meantime, coming out with new platforms can only be effective if the right and best people are using it–and trained to do it–well.

Should this list have any new titles added to it? Let me know.