Bank marketers are all in on AI

By Ally Akins

In the latest ABA survey of bank marketers on tools and technology, use of AI-powered marketing tools nearly doubled from 2025 to 2026. The survey, conducted in March 2026, included 116 respondents. This article compares results from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 surveys on the same topic.

Marketing AI is no longer experimental. It is becoming mainstream as banks use it to streamline repetitive work and improve marketing efficiency and productivity.

Current state of bank marketer AI usage

When asked about AI use in marketing, respondents showed a sharp increase over two years: 16.9% in 2024, 29.9% in 2025 and 50.4% in 2026.

Respondents were also asked about their broader martech stack. The share selecting “none of the above” fell from 27% in 2025 to 13% in 2026, suggesting that holdouts are fading. Overall, 87% of bank marketers now use some form of martech, up from 72.6% in 2025. Marketing automation platforms, or MAP, and CRM systems remain the most widely adopted tools, but AI is by far the fastest-growing category, signaling a fundamental shift in how bank marketers are building their technology stacks.

How banks actually use AI for marketing

A closer look at usage patterns shows how bank marketers are applying AI to content creation. For internal content, “extensive use” rose from 1.5% in 2024 to 17.4% in 2026. Meanwhile, the share reporting “no plans” to use AI for internal content fell from 53% to 27%.

Use of AI for external marketing content closely mirrors internal use: 16% report using it extensively for external content, and 47% use it in a limited capacity. With most marketers now using AI externally as well as internally, confidence in AI-generated marketing content appears to be growing.

Among the platforms bank marketers use, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT are tied for first at 69%, followed by Canva at 58%. Given the industry’s broad reliance on Microsoft platforms, this result is not surprising.

Canva’s AI tools for creative asset generation represent a distinct use case from Copilot and ChatGPT. While the latter are primarily used for text generation and productivity tasks, Canva’s “Magic Studio” suite focuses on visual content production — generating images, resizing assets, and designing branded materials. Canva recently surpassed 5 billion uses of Magic Studio, reflecting strong, growing adoption and underscoring AI’s role in both content and design production.

The survey also asked how bank marketers access these tools. Thirty-eight percent use enterprise-wide platforms provided by their companies, while 47% rely on individual or team subscriptions, showing that fragmented access remains common. Another 15% of AI users still lack employer-provided generative AI subscriptions, creating potential risk when employees turn to personal accounts.

When asked which AI use cases have the greatest impact today and in the future, respondents ranked content creation highest on both current and expected future impact (mean 3.62 out of 5), followed by social media (3.18) and ad targeting (2.81).

In CPG research and summarization of conversations with clients in March 2026, content creation was a primary focus of how bank marketers would use AI going forward. Reporting and analysis, hiring and operational efficiency, and strategic planning were also cited as emerging use cases — suggesting that bank marketers’ ambitions for AI extend well beyond content.

Personalization and customer-facing applications stand out as future opportunities, with high expected impact scores (4.09 and 4.05) but low current-use scores (2.44 and 2.14).

Where comfort and discomfort exist

Comfort scores are rising across all five tool categories, but AI still ranks second to last at 3.14 out of 5, ahead of only analytics and data platforms.

When asked about the main challenges and limitations, respondents still cited the expertise gap as a major concern, though it declined from 61% in 2024 to 48% in 2026. Data privacy and ethical concerns now rank as the top source of worry that is directly tied to access gaps. With 15% of AI users still relying on personal accounts rather than enterprise platforms, sensitive client data may be entering tools that lack the governance controls banks require. These risks extend beyond privacy: AI tools can also introduce copyright and licensing exposure, particularly when employees use open-source or public AI tools that may reproduce proprietary or copyleft code, content, or other protected material.

Addressing this risk will require banks to expand access to enterprise-grade AI rather than leaving employees to find their own solutions. Training and education will also be critical to ensuring that investments in AI platforms deliver their full value.

Role of bank marketing in an AI world

Marketing is under increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable business impact, including direct contributions to revenue growth. Research consistently shows that organizations with performance-based marketing capabilities outperform peers in revenue growth and customer acquisition, and the use of AI is accelerating that dynamic, not just brand awareness. As a result, AI fluency is becoming a core marketing capability. In 2024, the question was whether bank marketers would adopt AI. In 2026, the question is how quickly they can build the skills, access, and governance needed to use it responsibly and at scale. Banks that invest in training, enterprise-wide access to AI, and clear usage policies will be better positioned to capture efficiency gains and gain a competitive advantage.

Ally Akins is principal, Capital Performance Group.