The future of marketing in an AI driven world

On January 22, the School of Business welcomed industry leaders and community members for a forward-looking conversation on the marketing industry as part of our AI & the Future of Business series. Dean Sophie Leroy framed the discussion around how AI is transforming customer engagement, campaign strategies and marketing analytics.

Panelists Nuri Cankaya, head of analytics marketing at Snowflake, and Christy Marble, chief marketing officer at Siteimprove, shared insights into how their organizations are adapting to AI at an unprecedented pace.

Cankaya highlighted how enterprises are leveraging AI to better quantify the customer journey, unlock deeper social media analytics and measure the real impact of digital investments. He emphasized AI as a collaborative tool — enabling faster product launches, streamlining workflows and empowering teams rather than replacing them.

Marble noted the rapid evolution of search engine optimization and the growing importance of accessible, high-quality digital content — not only for users, but also for improving visibility in AI-driven search. She emphasized how her team utilizes AI like a virtual assistant to perform mundane tasks that clog their to-do lists. They’ve also integrated agentic AI chatbots that answer common questions more efficiently and guide users to scheduling a call to connect with a member of the sales team.

As emphasized throughout the conversation by Cankaya and Marble, AI is a tool built for and alongside people — not a replacement, but an opportunity for marketers to learn, adapt and grow with the technology.