# 69% of Marketers Increase AI-Generated Content Output

New research shows rapid adoption of AI tools in content marketing workflows

- **Source:** [Ahrefs Blog](https://ahrefs.com/blog)
- **Published:** 2026-09-30
- **Topic:** [Marketing](https://brifing.si/c/marketing)
- **Original article:** <https://ahrefs.com/blog/marketers-ai-content-creation/>
- **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/5d551760-5f30-4593-8620-faf0c2276f28

## Ubiquitous AI adoption

93% of surveyed marketers now use AI for content creation, up from 87% last year. Only 6.98% abstain, primarily due to accuracy concerns. Claude leads as the preferred model (83.2%), followed by ChatGPT (75.7%) and Gemini (57.9%). The data shows AI has become standard in marketing workflows, with adoption rates nearing saturation among tech-savvy professionals.

## Productivity surge

85% of marketers report faster content production using AI, with 47.9% seeing significant speed improvements. Last year's data showed AI users published 42% more content than non-users. However, 2.5% actually experienced slower output, suggesting implementation quality varies. The productivity gains are driving increased AI content volume across the industry.

## Specialized task growth

AI use for data analysis jumped from 28% to 60% year-over-year, while image creation grew from 19% to 43%. Keyword clustering adoption doubled to 45%. These specialized applications show marketers are moving beyond basic text generation to leverage AI for complex analytical tasks. The growth reflects both improved model capabilities and better workflow integration.

## Quality perceptions

56% of AI users still rate human-written content as superior, though 43% of founders prefer AI outputs. Junior marketers show more skepticism (17% favor AI). Interestingly, 61% report more positive views on AI content quality compared to last year, likely due to model improvements. The perception gap between leadership and executors suggests organizational hierarchy influences AI acceptance.

## Verification trends

29% now use AI to check AI-generated content, doubling from 14% last year. Manual review remains dominant at 66%, while only 2.7% trust unchecked AI outputs. The rise of meta-verification (AI checking AI) indicates evolving quality control practices. Fewer marketers skip verification entirely, showing increased sophistication in AI content workflows.

## Financial impact

41% report no savings on writer costs despite AI adoption, with 26% uncertain. Only 28% work with external writers, explaining limited savings. Those seeing savings typically save $1,000-$2,000 monthly. The data suggests AI currently supplements rather than replaces human labor for most teams, with financial benefits concentrated among outsourcing-heavy operations.

## Disclosure practices

78% don't disclose AI use, though disclosure rates grew from 16% to 22%. Surprisingly, heavy AI users aren't more likely to disclose. The ambiguity around what constitutes

## Pure AI content growth

7% of marketers now publish over 75% pure AI content, up from 4%. At the other extreme, 40% publish no pure AI content, down from 50%. The middle ground shows most use hybrid approaches. This polarization suggests the industry is bifurcating between full AI adoption and cautious augmentation strategies.

## Sources covering this story

- https://ahrefs.com/blog/marketers-ai-content-creation/ — 

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_Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._