Only 26% of Indian CMOs have responsible AI guidelines in place: Study

New Delhi: Marketing leaders in India are facing increased pressure to deliver profitability and revenue growth, while simultaneously addressing challenges around AI integration, talent readiness, and data utilisation, according to the IBM CMO Study 2025 released by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV).

The report highlights a shift in expectations from Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs), with 63% of Indian CMOs now accountable for delivering profitability, closely aligned with the global figure of 64%. A further 53% are also directly responsible for driving revenue growth, indicating an expansion of the CMO’s traditional scope.

In response to evolving business needs, CMOs in India are focusing on customer experience, technology modernisation, marketing and sales effectiveness, scalability of service delivery, and business model innovation. However, the study also points to a widening gap between strategic priorities and operational readiness, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence and talent capabilities.

“As AI radically transforms how businesses engage, operate, and grow, Indian CMOs are uniquely positioned to lead this shift by harnessing AI responsibly,” said Tuhina Pandey, Director, APAC Communications & Marketing, India and South Asia, IBM. She added, “While the potential of AI is clear, what’s needed now is a bold new playbook, one powered by trusted data, skilled talent, cultural reset, and AI augmentation.”

The study highlights several India-specific findings.

Indian CMOs identify customer experience (41%), scalability of service delivery (37%), technology modernisation (37%), marketing and sales effectiveness (34%), and business model innovation (32%) as their leading focus areas for future readiness.

Only 26% of Indian CMOs have implemented responsible AI guidelines to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in automated decision-making.

While 44% of CMOs believe their function is prepared to integrate Agentic AI, only 26% feel they have the required talent in place. In India, just 23% of CMOs report having prepared their teams for the cultural and operational changes that AI agents may introduce.

Despite 63% agreeing that the value of generative AI depends on proprietary data, only 1% of enterprise data is currently being leveraged.

Just one-third of organisations report having a unified view of the customer journey. CMOs believe that greater alignment between marketing, sales, and operations could unlock up to 20% additional revenue.

A significant 62% of Indian CMOs say partnerships are a top priority, exceeding the global average of 47%.