In the sixth instalment of our Search Forward campaign, I spoke with Andrew Ames, head of PR and marketing at Tide Construction. Andrew shared his insight on the impact of AI on digital marketing and SEO, whether consumers will demand more transparency about AI use, and the ethics of AI in marketing.
How has AI changed the way you and your teams approach digital marketing?
At its best, AI helps marketing teams work more strategically, giving them back time to focus on creativity and critical thinking. I have witnessed junior staff use AI tools like ChatGPT to refine their work before submitting it, reducing the amount of editing I needed to do. But that quickly turned into an over-reliance, with AI-generated content becoming bland and formulaic. It was a lesson in balance – AI can enhance efficiency, but it shouldn’t replace human creativity.
I view AI as a tool, not a shortcut. The key is knowing when to use it to enhance your work, rather than letting it take over the process.
Have you received any formal AI training or guidance in your roles?
No, and that’s part of the problem. Not many companies have official policies on AI use. It’s largely down to individual managers to decide how to integrate AI into their teams. While some industries, like tech and law, are starting to bring in AI specialists, in most sectors, that is still a long way from that being the norm.
I think it will take years before AI governance is widely adopted in the workplace. There’s also a big question about where AI fits within existing regulations like GDPR. Right now, there are huge grey areas around how AI tools handle sensitive data, and companies are relying on their own discretion rather than clear legal guidance.
With more people using AI tools like ChatGPT for search, what impact do you think this will have on SEO?
In B2C marketing, staying ahead of AI-driven search trends is essential. If search engines like Google continue prioritising AI-generated overviews, businesses will need to rethink how they attract organic traffic.
AI can of course help us understand client needs better. It’s a valuable research tool for identifying pain points and positioning ourselves as the solution. However, I wouldn’t advise companies to abandon traditional SEO yet. It’s still an important tool, and while search is evolving, we’re not at the stage where AI has fully replaced it. That said, sponsored results in AI search will soon become essential. As soon as ROI is proven, brands will need to invest in paid AI search strategies to maintain visibility.
You mentioned ethical concerns. What are your thoughts on the role of AI ethics in digital marketing?
There’s a huge reliance on AI providers being ethical, and that’s a risk. The accuracy of AI generated search results depends on how well a user can phrase their query, but even then, biases and misinterpretations can creep in. I think there’s a real need for AI literacy. Businesses and individuals need to be educated on how to use these tools effectively and critically assess the information they provide.
There’s also the issue of energy consumption. AI searches use significantly more energy than traditional search engines, raising environmental concerns. If people are using ChatGPT for trivial queries, we’re needlessly draining resources. In the future, AI tools might restrict certain types of searches to reduce their environmental impact, or be able to determine which model best fits a query.
With AI-generated content on the rise, do you think consumers will demand more transparency?
Absolutely. There’s already a huge volume of AI-generated content online and distinguishing between human and AI-created material is becoming more difficult. I think we’ll see a push for clearer labelling – maybe a “tick list” system where content is marked as human-created, AI-assisted, or fully AI-generated.
Beyond transparency, brands need to be careful about over-reliance on AI. It’s been suggested that 90% of all online content will be AI-generated within two years. If that happens, consumers may start seeking out human-created content for authenticity. Marketing, when done well, is fundamentally about emotion and storytelling, and AI still struggles to replicate the nuance of human creativity.
What future AI developments do you think will have the biggest impact on marketing?
Integration is the next big shift. Imagine AI tools that connect seamlessly with your social media accounts, e-commerce platforms, and search habits to provide hyper-personalised recommendations. For example, you could ask ChatGPT to scan your partner’s Instagram and recommend three Christmas gifts based on their activity. If AI develops in that direction, it could revolutionise the customer experience. You only need to look at music streaming to see how this might evolve. You no longer spend time curating a playlist for your summer party – you simply ask for one. In the same way musicians now tailor their work to fit streaming algorithms, commercial brands will increasingly need to adapt to AI-driven discovery to stay relevant.
However, there are risks. The more AI takes over marketing processes, the more jobs it could displace. If companies start reducing marketing teams because AI can ‘do it all,’ we’ll see major workforce disruptions. There needs to be a conversation about where AI should stop – what tasks should remain human-led to preserve creativity and jobs.
Final thoughts – what’s one piece of advice for businesses looking to adapt to AI-driven search?
Stay informed and don’t assume AI will solve everything. AI is a powerful tool, but it requires human oversight to be effective. Businesses need to find the right balance; using AI to enhance efficiency while ensuring their content remains authentic and engaging.
The digital landscape is evolving fast, and those who take a thoughtful approach to AI adoption will be the ones who stay ahead.
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We’ll be publishing Q&A’s every fortnight with invaluable insights from experts in AI, SEO and digital marketing. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay informed when new Q&A’s are published.
You can read previous Q&As in the series here:
- Kevin Indig, growth advisor
- Andrew Bruce Smith, chair of the CIPR’s AI in PR panel
- Mary Kemp, founder at AI Potential
- Tom Swinbourne, digital marketing manager at Reconomy
- Oluwatobi Folasade Balogun, co-founder and CEO at Sustainwyse
We offer search engine optimisation services to help your business be found by the right audiences. If you’d like to find out more, email me at greg@magentaassociates.co.
