Research released by HubSpot indicates that UK marketers are adopting artificial intelligence at one of the fastest rates globally, while maintaining clear boundaries between automation and human creative control.
The 2025 State of AI in Marketing Report from HubSpot shows that 84% of UK marketers now use AI tools daily in their roles, compared to a global average of 66%. This trend points to AI becoming firmly established in UK marketing practice, moving away from initial experimentation toward routine application.
According to HubSpot, this widespread adoption is reshaping workflows, team structures, and performance metrics. However, the report highlights an approach where marketers actively seek to benefit from automation, but do not let go of overall control of creative outputs.
Time savings across marketing tasks
Most UK marketers report saving at least one hour per week on tasks such as data analysis and reporting (86%), media content creation (76%), automating brand messaging or conversational marketing (70%), and market research (67%). When these time savings are considered across multiple activities, they can amount to a full workday regained each week.
AI's role in marketing extends beyond routine efficiency, with support for creative processes becoming apparent. In the past year, over half of UK marketers (51%) used image or design generators, while 39% utilised video or animation generators and 38% used voice or narration generators. Generative AI is also being employed in the early stages of creative work, with 42% using it to brainstorm ideas and 36% to build outlines for marketing content.
Editing and creative control
Despite increased use of AI, UK marketers are not fully relinquishing control over final campaign outputs. The research finds that when using generative AI to write copy, nearly all marketers (97%) edit the AI's output before it goes live, and 26% make significant edits. This points to a process where AI is valued for efficiency in production, but human voice and intent remain central.
Evaluating AI's impact
AI tools are being assessed primarily for their business impact rather than their novelty. According to the report, 76% of UK marketers report a positive return on investment from AI and automation. The strongest returns have been identified in content and customer engagement areas: 79% report positive ROI from brand chatbots, 70% from AI-generated social media content, 67% from long-form blog content, and 65% from email marketing.
Integration of AI functionalities into existing platforms is highlighted as a key driver of adoption. Of those surveyed, 91% use AI tools embedded in software they already work with, such as writing tools in marketing suites or image tools in editing applications. Within this group, almost all respondents (96%) said that having embedded AI increased their overall AI usage.
These findings suggest a preference among UK marketers for solutions that complement established workflows. There is a focus on integration and usability over adopting standalone AI tools for their own sake.
Defining the role of AI
The report also reveals a cautious but confident approach to AI. While adoption is high, 58% of respondents say AI and automation should be used in marketing roles without becoming overly relied on. Only 18% support the idea of using AI and automation as much as possible, while 24% believe marketers should avoid relying on AI altogether.
There is broad confidence in the ability to oversee AI output, with 69% of UK marketers believing they would recognise inaccurate information produced by generative AI. Although 43% expect AI to significantly change their job in 2025, only 21% are significantly concerned that AI could fully replace their job within the coming years.
HubSpot describes the prevailing sentiment as one where AI is expected to improve scale and speed, while human oversight ensures content quality, relevance, and brand voice are maintained.
"UK marketers are proving that AI success isn't about chasing hype, it's about embedding the right tools into existing workflows to deliver meaningful value. What we're seeing in this data is a shift from experimentation to purposeful adoption. AI is helping teams save time, accelerate ideation and boost performance, but it's also being used with intention. And the UK's marketing community is setting a powerful example of what responsible AI can look like in practice."
The report provides insight into a maturing UK market where AI adoption is paired with a measured, human-led creative framework, pointing to a future where technology and manual oversight continue to work in tandem.
