Generative AI Use Disclosure:
This blog post was edited and optimized with AI, but the final output was generated by me, a human.
The AI Learning & Adoption Loop
AI is no longer the future of marketing—it's the present. If you're not actively using AI in your work life, you're already falling behind. 'You’re either in the Loop, on the Loop, or out of the Loop.' This simple phrase from Satya Nadella during the Master of Scale Summit perfectly captures the crossroad that all marketers and knowledge workers face today—how will you adapt to the AI transformation? Will you embrace it, or be left behind?"
At Seer, we believe that all Marketers and knowledge workers face this career-defining juncture right now. Deciding how you will adopt and use AI is an imperative choice that cannot be underestimated. It will define your future and the path that your career takes. Those with their heads in the sand will simply be left behind and will not be able to compete in an AI-assisted world.
Where in the Loop are you? Take 2 minutes and Try Seer’s customGPT: AI Survival Quiz: Are You In the Loop?
How to Identify if You’re Out of the AI Loop (And Why It’s Dangerous for Marketers)
If you're Out of the Loop, you might still be trying to grasp AI's full potential, holding onto skepticism or simply feeling overwhelmed by its complexities. However, the reality is that staying disconnected from AI’s impact could leave you trailing behind in a world that increasingly relies on AI to empower marketing success.
Whether you’re a non-believer, a stalwart resistor, or conscious objector…you’re just not into the AI game…Yet. Yes, you’ve heard about AI, but the skeptic in you has reservations. At Seer, We’ve identified the six stages of the AI journey that will help you determine where you are in the Loop. Ready to dive in?
Stage 0: Non-Believers (Out of the Loop)
Yes, we know that for some of you, AI is the big scary monster coming down the pike ready to take jobs from humans and make us all obsolete. Or perhaps you think that AI is dangerous and it will spread mis-information, ruin democracy, and disrupt the balance of humankind as we know it. Maybe you’re just a skeptic and don’t buy into all the hype. How’s it really going to affect me?... you think to yourself.
Characteristics:
- Disbelief: Yes, we know you’re out there. Disbelievers are those who simply aren’t drinking the AI Kool-Aid. You may even be wearing a tin-foil hat, holding fast to flat-earth theories, convinced AI will ruin the world. But this skepticism keeps you at arm’s length from AI’s true potential. While you may reject AI as overhyped or too complex, staying in this mindset could mean missing out as the rest of the industry/world adopts AI-driven solutions that enhance efficiency and creativity.
- Avoidance: You know AI is out there, but you're actively avoiding it. Maybe it feels like just another overcomplicated tech fad, or perhaps you're convinced it won’t mesh with your current way of working. You’ve dodged conversations, skipped the webinars, and prefer to stick with what’s familiar. While this avoidance feels safe, it risks leaving you out of future innovations that could save time, drive efficiency, and enhance your creativity. Holding onto old methods in an AI-driven world might not be sustainable for much longer.
- Fearful of Change: You recognize AI’s potential, but the uncertainty around it leaves you paralyzed. The fear of changing your familiar workflow, learning new tools, or even worrying about job security keeps you from diving in. You might be concerned that AI will complicate things or even make your role obsolete. Yet, resisting change out of fear could hinder your growth, while others who embrace AI will find themselves at the forefront of innovation, gaining efficiency, and staying competitive in the increasingly AI-assisted marketplace.
[TIP] Imagine attending a meeting where your colleague mentions an AI tool that automates 20% of their daily work. You’ve never even heard of it. Now, imagine being the person who gets replaced because you're still manually doing tasks that AI could automate. Staying out of the loop could cost you your job.
Even if you're a Non-Believer when it comes to AI, chances are you're already using it in your daily life—often without realizing it. For example, every time you unlock your smartphone using facial recognition or rely on voice assistants like Siri or Alexa, you're interacting with AI. Navigation apps like Google Maps or Waze use AI to predict traffic patterns and find the fastest route to your destination. Streaming services like Netflix or Spotify rely on AI algorithms to recommend content tailored to your preferences. Even your email’s spam filter or predictive text suggestions are powered by AI. While you may be skeptical about AI’s broader implications, it's likely already making your everyday tasks more efficient and personalized.
Progression: Advancing past the Non-Believer stage is all about shifting your mindset from skepticism or avoidance to curiosity. It starts when you realize how AI is already woven into your daily life—like when your smartphone unlocks using facial recognition, or when Netflix recommends a show you love. This can make you rethink the idea that AI is distant or irrelevant. As you begin to notice how AI enhances the things you already use, you may start wondering how it could help in your professional life as well. You might attend a webinar or read an article about AI’s impact on marketing, sparking curiosity. From there, you may try using an AI tool for a small, low-risk task like scheduling or report generation. At this point, you’re in the Interested stage—aware of AI’s potential but still figuring out how to integrate it into your daily workflow.
While you sit on the sidelines, AI is transforming industries, and those who aren’t paying attention are the ones who will be left behind, like those still stuck on floppy disks in the cloud era.
Stage 1: Interested (Out of the Loop)
When you're at the "Interested" stage (Stage 1) of AI adoption, you're curious but haven’t fully committed to incorporating AI into your daily work yet. Marketers at this stage are beginning to explore AI’s potential, often hearing about its benefits but not yet diving deep into how to apply it. This phase is largely characterized by awareness—knowing that AI is out there and that it could help—but not yet taking significant action to learn or integrate it into workflows.
Characteristics:
- Watching from Afar: At this stage, you’re like someone watching from the shore, seeing the AI wave approach but unsure if you're ready to dive in. You're curious, you’ve attended webinars, maybe even toyed with a few AI tools, but haven't fully committed to making AI a daily part of your workflow.
- Understanding the Basics: In this stage, the focus is on understanding the basics of AI. Marketers might have toyed with ChatGPT, read blogs, or followed thought leaders on platforms like LinkedIn to stay informed about AI trends. However, they aren't yet confident in using AI tools themselves or teaching others.
- Toe-Dipping into AI: You’re curious and willing to give AI a try, but only in small, low-risk areas of your workflow. You might be using an AI-powered tool for basic tasks like scheduling or automating reports, but you're not yet ready to rely on it for bigger strategic decisions. You’re testing the waters cautiously, still holding on to manual processes as a safety net. This approach lets you explore AI’s benefits, but fully embracing AI’s potential will require you to take a bigger plunge into more impactful applications.
[TIP] You’ve watched a few webinars, toyed with AI-powered tools like ChatGPT for writing emails, but when it comes to adopting AI at scale, you're still hesitant. The reality is, while you're just watching from afar, your competition is using AI to drive personalization and win market share.
If you're 'Out of the Loop,' you’re missing out on the fundamental opportunities AI can offer such as enhanced personalization, automation, and smarter data-driven decisions. It’s time to start learning.
Progression: The key to moving from being “Interested” to “Invested” is to start small. You can begin by testing simple AI tools, like those that automate routine tasks, and gradually build up your understanding. A useful strategy is to identify AI applications you see in action—like AI notetakers or Using CustomGPTs to help improve research tasks—and ask yourself, "How could I try something like this in my work?"
AI tools to start using today:
- https://openai.com/o1/ - Arguably the most popular AI experimentation tool. Start using OpenAI and their ChatGPT and CustomGPTs today.
- https://www.perplexity.ai/ - This is your new AI search engine. Perplexity is a versatile AI search engine that combines a broad knowledge base with a user-friendly interface2.
- https://claude.ai/ - Claude excels in a wide range of tasks and is trained on new material to support writing, coding, analysis, and creative problem-solving3.
Dipping your toe in isn't enough when the whole industry is diving headfirst into AI. Stay in this phase too long, and you'll find yourself stuck in a world that's rapidly leaving you behind.
Who’s In the Loop?
Marketers who are "In the Loop" have moved beyond being casual observers of AI. They’re not merely aware of AI's impact—they're actively participating in its integration into their workflows. They’re in the know. However, they aren't fully leveraging AI as strategic partners just yet. Instead, they use AI tools as a means to improve efficiency, automate tasks, and enhance their marketing strategies, but with ongoing human oversight. Think of them as AI adopters, but not AI innovators—yet.
At Seer, we consider these marketers to be in the Invested and Integrated stages of AI adoption.
Stage 2: Invested (In the Loop)
At the "Invested" stage of AI adoption, you're beginning to take deliberate steps toward incorporating AI into your work. You've moved beyond mere interest and are now allocating time, resources, and effort to explore and test AI tools. Marketers at this stage start using AI to automate specific, well-defined tasks, but the usage is still somewhat experimental.
When you're In the Loop in the Invested stage, AI is becoming a familiar part of your toolkit, but it hasn’t taken over your marketing processes. You’re still experimenting, getting your feet wet with automation and analytics tools, but the true value of AI has yet to fully materialize. This is where your journey from curiosity to action begins.
Characteristics:
- Tool Exploration: You’re dipping your toes into various AI tools, perhaps testing out chatbots, content generation, or marketing automation tools. The key here is curiosity combined with action—you’re no longer just reading about AI, you’re trying it out.
- Value Recognition: A common challenge at this stage is figuring out how to extract real value from AI tools. It’s easy to install a new tool, but like a fitness app, the benefits only come with consistent usage and fine-tuning. You may struggle with understanding the full potential of these tools or how to implement them effectively across different campaigns.
- AI Experimentation: You're committed to making AI work for you. This means not settling for the first answer AI provides, but instead, continuing to push for better results by refining inputs and experimenting with different prompts. You understand that AI requires training, adjustments, and sometimes a completely new approach to unlock its full potential. Your willingness to continue testing, tweaking, and exploring ensures you get the most out of your AI tools, and it shows a deepening commitment to integrating AI into your work.
- Mindset Shift: The skepticism that might have existed in the "Interested" stage starts to give way to cautious optimism. You're willing to explore how AI can improve your marketing workflows, but you're still watching closely to see if AI will deliver meaningful results.
At this stage, you’re starting to use AI to handle routine tasks, like automating social media scheduling or basic reporting. But while you're tinkering, some are already automating full campaigns, saving thousands of hours and delivering targeted ads in real-time.
Progression: To move forward, you need to continue experimenting with AI tools, tracking the results they generate. Dive deeper into learning how AI can scale—automation, enhanced data analytics, or even advanced customer segmentation. Focus on specific use cases where AI can reduce manual workload, freeing up time for strategic thinking.
Being in the loop means no longer sitting on the fence. You’re investing in AI not just to experiment but to optimize your workflow. The companies doing this are already ahead—and if you’re not catching up, you risk losing the game before it’s even started.
Stage 3: Integrated (In the Loop)
In the "Integrated" stage, AI is no longer an experiment—it’s an indispensable tool in your marketing arsenal. You’ve moved beyond basic testing and are now integrating AI into your core operations, optimizing processes, personalizing campaigns, and analyzing data faster than ever before. Here, AI becomes a seamless extension of your team, enhancing your capacity to make data-informed decisions.
Characteristics:
- Operational Efficiency: AI is now an essential tool for improving efficiency. For example, you might be using AI for content generation, optimizing paid ads, or predicting customer behavior. Unlike Stage 2, where AI tools are being tested, at this stage, AI has proven its worth, and you have integrated it into your regular campaigns (Seer Interactive).
- Automation Advances: You’ve not quite mastered the art of using AI for automation, but you are finding use cases and putting automation into play.. You know which tasks can be handed over to AI tools and have developed workflows that rely on AI for repetitive tasks, freeing up more time for creative strategy and analysis. You’ve created checklists that guide how AI interacts with various tasks.
- Collaborative AI: You’re likely collaborating with your AI tools, meaning you use them as partners rather than simply tools. For instance, you might start using AI to generate ideas and then refine those outputs, or you may have AI predict outcomes (or forecasts) that you evaluate and adjust accordingly.
[TIP] You’re using AI to automate repetitive processes, like ad copy creation or customer segmentation. While this is great, imagine a competitor who has integrated AI so deeply that it’s running predictive models on customer behavior, allowing them to personalize marketing efforts in real-time and optimize budgets automatically. Scared that they’re gonna eat your lunch? You should be.
Progression: At this stage, marketers need to focus on enhancing AI's strategic role in their work. This involves leveraging AI not just for automation, but for higher-level functions like predictive analytics or customer experience management. You should also begin training others in your organization to use AI effectively, as this further integrates AI into the broader company strategy.
In The Loop - AI tools to check out:
- https://zapier.com/ - Zapier Central allows users to automate tasks and create AI assistants that can work across thousands of apps1.
- https://chat.avian.io/ - This AI assistant utilizes Meta Llama 405B Instruct with Avian data connectors and a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) platform. It offers integrations to multiple data sources including: Google Analytics, Search Console, and BigQuery.
- https://www.sphinxmind.com/ - An AI-powered marketing assistant that integrates with Facebook Ads and Google Analytics among other platforms. It offers insights, recommendations, and data analysis through a chatbot interface.
In the loop isn't just about experimentation—it's about making AI a fundamental part of your operations. And those who get to this stage quickly are the ones who will scale faster and outperform the competition.
Who’s On the Loop?
Marketers who are "On the Loop" aren’t just using AI—they’re transforming how they work through it. At this stage, AI becomes more than a tool; it becomes a strategic partner, fundamentally reshaping your approach to marketing. Being "On the Loop" means that AI is fully integrated into decision-making processes, driving innovation, efficiency, and personalization at a scale that human capabilities alone cannot match. These individuals are leading the charge in the AI revolution, using it to unlock new possibilities and set the standard for the future of marketing.
Marketers at this level have moved into the Re-Imagined and Re-Invented stages of AI adoption, where they are not only enhancing their workflows but are also rethinking and revolutionizing them. Here, AI powers everything from hyper-personalized campaigns to real-time analytics and forecasting, pushing the boundaries of what's possible and positioning these professionals as AI pioneers in their fields.
Stage 4: Re-Imagined (On the Loop)
In the “Re-Imagined” stage, AI is transforming how you think and work. It’s not just another tool—it’s a key collaborator. AI is helping you unlock deeper insights, personalize customer experiences at scale, and predict behaviors in ways that were impossible before. This is where innovation takes center stage, where AI pushes the boundaries of what marketing can accomplish.
Marketers who are "On the Loop" at this level are fully embracing AI to reimagine tasks that were previously manual or fragmented. AI is no longer just used for automation—it’s driving innovation and new approaches in your marketing strategy. For example:
- Predictive Mastery: You’re using AI to predict customer behavior with remarkable accuracy, and you leverage these insights to fine-tune segmentation and personalization in real-time. Your campaigns are no longer reactive but proactive, anticipating customer needs before they arise.
- AI-Driven Campaign Optimization: You rely on AI to handle campaign optimization from start to finish. Whether it’s adjusting ad spend dynamically or selecting the best time to reach your audience, AI is continuously analyzing performance metrics and making adjustments that directly impact ROI.
- Creative AI Collaboration: AI has become an indispensable partner in creative tasks. You’re not just using it for basic automation; instead, you rely on AI to generate new ideas, test innovative strategies, and deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences. AI acts as your co-creator, helping you brainstorm and refine content at scale.
- Innovation at Scale: At this stage, AI isn’t just enhancing your workflows—it’s transforming how you deliver value to customers. You're constantly iterating on your approaches, pushing the boundaries of what AI can accomplish in both tactical and strategic marketing functions.
[TIP] At this level, AI is not just assisting you; it's actively innovating alongside you. Picture this: AI forecasts customer demand, optimizes your entire marketing budget, and adjusts campaigns in real-time based on shifting trends. While others are reacting, you’re already anticipating market changes.
At this stage, AI is woven into the fabric of your organization’s marketing strategies, and it helps you not only keep up with the competition but also stay ahead by constantly iterating on your approaches.
Progression: To progress to Stage 5, the next step is allowing AI to fully reshape how your team operates, beyond just collaboration. In the Re-Invented stage, AI is not only generating ideas or optimizing campaigns but making autonomous decisions that drive entire marketing initiatives. Your team moves from managing campaigns to managing AI systems that can autonomously adjust to market conditions, customer behaviors, and performance data in real time. The transformation is complete when AI leads innovation, creating opportunities for new business models, customer journeys, and entirely AI-driven strategies that revolutionize your approach to marketing.
When you're on the loop, AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a co-pilot driving innovation and shaping new strategies. Those still relying on manual processes can’t compete with the agility and foresight this stage offers.
Stage 5: Re-Invented (On the Loop)
In the Re-Invented stage, AI has fully transformed your marketing operations, taking over complex decision-making and driving innovation at scale. AI is no longer just a tool you collaborate with—it’s an autonomous system that’s reshaping your strategies and processes from the ground up. At this level, AI doesn’t just assist your work; it leads the charge, continuously innovating and opening new possibilities for growth and customer engagement. You’ve moved beyond optimizing workflows to letting AI power entire marketing ecosystems, making real-time adjustments that improve outcomes far beyond what human oversight alone could achieve. You are the AI pioneer, setting the new standard for how marketing is done in an AI-first world.
Here’s what this stage looks like:
- Autonomous Decision-Making: AI systems now autonomously manage and optimize campaigns, making real-time decisions about ad spend, content deployment, and customer targeting without requiring manual intervention. Your role has shifted from managing campaigns to overseeing AI’s decision-making frameworks and ensuring alignment with high-level business objectives.
- AI-Led Innovation: You rely on AI to identify new growth opportunities and create novel marketing strategies that were previously unimaginable. AI is driving hyper-personalized customer journeys, forecasting market trends, and even generating innovative content and solutions that go beyond human capacity.
- AI as a Business Driver: AI is no longer just enhancing marketing operations—it’s transforming your business model. AI-driven insights are identifying new product lines, redefining customer relationships, and opening up entirely new revenue streams. You’ve reimagined what your organization can do, with AI leading the way in developing and scaling these ideas.
- Seamless AI Integration: AI operates across every touchpoint of your marketing, sales, and customer service systems. It connects insights from multiple data sources, learns continuously, and applies this knowledge to improve marketing strategies automatically. Your organization is now fully AI-driven, with the technology operating autonomously to handle everything from customer engagement to high-level strategic decisions.
[TIP] You’ve gone beyond AI-driven decision-making; AI is now autonomously running full marketing campaigns, making real-time optimizations, and even developing strategies that outperform human efforts. Imagine AI identifying new revenue streams that your team hadn't even considered.
On The Loop - AI tools:
- https://notebooklm.google.com/ - Google’s new and powerful Notebook allows you to organize and analyze information from various sources. This will be a gamechanger.
- https://replit.com/ - This platform allows users to build, share, and deploy software quickly. It offers collaborative coding environments and AI-assisted coding features.
The Future of AI-Driven Marketing
At this stage, you’re at the cutting edge of AI adoption, constantly experimenting with new AI applications and ensuring your business stays ahead of the competition. With AI fully integrated, you’re now prepared to tackle the future of marketing with systems that continuously learn and adapt to new challenges, transforming how you approach customer engagement, innovation, and business growth.
In this phase, AI isn't just a part of your marketing strategy—it is the strategy. While others are figuring out how to implement AI, you’re setting the standards for an AI-powered future.
Getting In the Loop
AI isn’t just a trend—it’s a transformational force that is redefining marketing. Whether you’re just dipping your toes in, already riding the wave, or fully immersed in the possibilities of AI, knowing where you are on this journey is essential for survival. The most important question you should ask yourself today is: Where do you want to be in the Loop? The choice you make now will define your future success in an AI-powered world.
Find out by taking our quiz: ChatGPT - AI Survival Quiz: Are You In the Loop?
As Satya Nadella insightfully said, "You are either in the Loop, on the Loop, or out of the Loop."
Marketers who are "Out of the Loop" risk falling behind in an AI-assisted world, missing out on the automation, personalization, and insights that AI can offer. For those "In the Loop," the journey has begun, but the challenge lies in deepening your AI integration to enhance efficiency and creativity. Finally, for those "On the Loop," the future holds limitless potential. By leading with AI innovation, you’re not just competing—you’re paving the way for others.
The real question is, where are you on your AI journey? And more importantly, how will you continue to adapt as AI transforms the marketing and the world around you? Now is the time to reflect, take action, and ensure that you stay in the loop.
Want to learn more about how to get in the Loop? Reach out and get in touch, we’ll be sure that a human responds.
