The dangers of using AI to optimise marketing

Andrej Persolja of We Fix Boring considers whether brands that rely too much on AI for their marketing are making a strategic error

 

As one of the world leaders in microprocessor design and manufacture, Intel has become a household name over the last two decades. The company’s marketing team has persuaded computer buyers everywhere to ask, ‘is it Intel inside?’, successfully differentiating the brand as the highest performing tech. 

 

But in July this year, Intel made the controversial move to "optimise" much of its marketing department using artificial intelligence, resulting in widespread redundancies across the company’s marketing team. From a cost-saving perspective, many view this as a smart and forward-thinking decision. But, when you look at it from a brand-integrity point of view, it holds the potential to be a mistake.

 

 

A potentially big mistake?

Lip-Bu Tan, Intel’s CEO, framed the decision as motivated by a desire for efficiency; but he may have failed to take into account the value and understanding that a highly experienced marketing team can bring, both to brand integrity and relevance. So, while AI has the potential to drive significant efficiency, that efficiency could come at considerable cost. 

 

Right now, the microprocessor industry is one of the most competitive sectors in the world. Driven by innovation, it was always going to be one of the first industries to adopt AI, automation and other tech advancements.

 

Using AI makes sense in a whole range of process-driven business areas. The problem with branding and marketing is that to be effective, it has to be human-centred, not process-centred, and AI simply isn’t ready to do that. This begs the question of whether strategy came into Intel’s decision-making at all, or whether it was entirely a cost-cutting exercise.

 

Industries driven by rapid innovation have a strong need for a positive public perception and compelling brand narrative: these directly impact the success and adoption of new technologies, influencing everything from market demand to regulatory acceptance. When experienced, skilful, intuitive marketers are replaced by AI, the risk is that brand narrative is at first diluted and then completely lost. 

 

You only have to look at one of Intel’s competitors to see how important proper marketing can be. Nvidia has been dominating the headlines for some time now. Not through sweeping process changes or optimisation, but because its marketing team has become a strategic powerhouse. Working ceaselessly to ensure the company is seen, heard, and branded in all the right ways, it can take some credit for the fact that Nvidia’s stock has grown by a massive 1,500% over the last five years. This is in stark contrast with Intel, which has seen a decline of over 50% in value during the same period. It’s a correlation not to be ignored. 

 

 

Why marketing shouldn’t be optimised

Whenever a business begins looking to economise, marketing is always the first department to face cuts. It’s dispensable, everyone knows this. The thing is, without marketing, businesses lose their way. Their brand falters and public opinion changes, or fades entirely. Marketing is about so much more than press releases, ad campaigns and content calendars. It shapes the way a business is seen and understood by markets as well as the public. As such, it should be valued as a core strategic support.

 

This is something that Intel appears to overlook. However, they’re not the first to bet too heavily on the potential of AI. In 2022, Klarna announced its intention to move towards an AI-driven future with the redundancy of 700 customer service employees. Three years later, compelled by a complete breakdown in support quality, angry customers, and ensuing reputational damage, that decision has been reversed, and a significant recruitment drive was launched in May 2025. Klarna’s mistake is undoubtedly embarrassing and detrimental to the business. And because Intel’s AI venture is focused on marketing, it risks being even more damaging, with the loss of brand, reputation, and status on the line.

 

 

What’s the alternative?

AI is no longer optional for tech businesses. Any brand within the tech industry not using AI can’t help but appear old-fashioned and out of touch. So, Intel’s move towards AI marketing is not a differentiator. If Intel wants to reclaim relevance, it should instead be seeking to out-market its competitors, not out-automate them. That would mean focusing on emotionally intelligent brand building with human-led storytelling front and centre.

 

As with a whole range of other tech tools, AI can play a part in that. It can work as a force multiplier for an experienced and knowledgeable marketing team, helping them to work smarter and faster, enabling greater creativity. But it can’t replace them. You need people to make human connections: the strategists and storytellers who understand nuance, culture and emotion, and can use them to their full potential.

 

Intel can still reclaim the narrative. Backing down from their ‘optimisation’ may cause embarrassment, but it doesn’t have to cause long-term damage. They need to find a team that can show the world why it still matters, a team capable of showcasing the brand’s innovation and determination, and bringing the heart back to the business. Because, while there’s little doubt that Intel’s products remain of the highest quality, Nvidia is currently winning the battle for brand supremacy because its marketing team has been given free rein to craft a voice which has captured the public’s attention and made the company synonymous with creative and technological brilliance.

 

AI is brilliant. It’s a complete game changer in so many different arenas. But when it comes down to it, it is still little more than a tool. And like all other tools, it requires people to reach its full potential. Sadly, not all businesses recognise that fact.

 

When the world is full of AI content, and the majority of brands look and sound the same, free from emotional intelligence and unstructured creativity, even the most pro-tech brands will see the mistake. The question is whether people will still retain the skills necessary to reverse that situation. 

 

Right now, it’s not too late for Intel to save its brand. But the clock is ticking. 

 

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Andrej Persolja is a marketing expert and founder of We Fix Boring.

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and andresr