Will AI take over Marketing? Here’s what Founders need to know

AI is changing how marketing works, but does that mean marketers are out? Not quite. For founders, the real opportunity lies in rethinking how marketing gets done. Here’s what you need to know.

If you’re a founder, your feed is probably flooded with AI-powered tools that promise to replace your content writer, media buyer, and maybe even your CMO. It's tempting to imagine a future where ChatGPT writes your blogs, Midjourney designs your creatives, and an AI scheduler runs your entire campaign calendar.

The pitch is tempting, especially when juggling product, hiring, funding, and a million other fires. Who wouldn’t want a virtual marketing team that never sleeps, never asks for raises, and churns out content at lightning speed?

But amid all this excitement, a deeper question is emerging for founders: Is AI actually taking over marketing, or is it just changing the way we do it?

In this blog, we’ll unpack what AI can (and can’t) do, share how innovative founders are using it right now, and help you figure out where the real opportunity lies- for your business, brand, and team.

The AI Market: Overview

Across industries, AI has moved from experimental to essential. In fact, more than three-quarters of organisations globally now report using AI in at least one business function.

The growth of AI is something that’s hard to ignore, especially if you're keeping an eye on the tech world. The fact that the global AI market is projected to leap from around $233 billion in 2024 to $1.77 trillion by 2032, growing at nearly 30% each year, is incredible. It feels like AI is everywhere now, whether it’s in tools we use every day or behind-the-scenes driving business innovation.

What’s even more interesting is how AI is moving beyond just big tech companies into every industry. Whether your startup is in eCommerce, retail, healthcare, or finance, AI is making its way into the core of operations.

According to Hubspot, 75% of digital marketers say they actively use AI tools to power campaigns, automate workflows, and optimise results.

With the AI market growing so quickly and showing no signs of slowing down, it’s clear why we’re diving into this topic. So, let’s take a look at how AI is already being used in marketing.

What AI is already doing in Marketing?

Whether you realise it or not, AI has already quietly taken a seat at your marketing table. It’s not some futuristic promise; It’s happening right now, across every part of the marketing stack.

Let’s break down where AI is already making an impact:

1. Content Creation

Need a blog post in 30 minutes? A catchy headline? A product description for your latest launch?
AI tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Copy.ai can generate long-form articles, ad copy, emails, and scripts with minimal input. What used to take days can now happen in minutes.

2. Ad Optimisation

AI doesn’t just help write the ads- it decides where and when to show them. Platforms like Meta, Google, and TikTok already rely on machine learning to analyse user behaviour, predict engagement, and automate bidding strategies.
With tools like Madgicx or AdCreative.ai, founders can launch hundreds of ad variations, test performance in real-time, and scale what works without needing a dedicated performance marketer.

3. Email Marketing

Tools like Mailmodo AI or HubSpot use machine learning to:

• Predict the best time to send emails.

• Personalise subject lines based on past behaviour.

• Optimise for engagement using A/B testing at scale.

What used to require hours of segmentation and planning is now increasingly point-and-click.

4. SEO & Content Strategy

AI tools like SurferSEO, Clearscope, and NeuronWriter now handle this in seconds. They analyse search intent, rank difficulty, and even auto-generate outlines that are SEO-optimised from the start. Founders can now build content strategies backed by data.

5. Social Media & Creative Production

Need 30 captions for an Instagram campaign? Or a month’s worth of visual content? AI tools like Canva Magic Studio, Predis.ai, or Lately.ai assist with:

• Caption and hashtag generation.

• Social post scheduling.

• Visual content creation based on templates or brand guidelines.

The productivity gains are real, the speed is undeniable, and the possibilities keep growing. But here’s the big question: If AI can already do all this, does that mean your marketing team is replaceable? Well, no!

AI is fast, scalable, and often surprisingly accurate. However, it still lacks the one ingredient that great marketing demands: human judgement.

You can feed AI a prompt, but can’t teach it to care. You can get it to generate copy, but it won’t know why your customer truly buys. That’s where humans still lead and will continue to.

AI can execute. And it can do it faster than ever before. For lean teams or solo founders, this is the kind of time-saver that moves the needle.

What Founders Should Actually Do with AI Right Now?

Here’s how founders are already using AI wisely (and how you can too):

1. Speed Up Idea Generation

Staring at a blank Google Doc? Let AI throw you 10 blog intros, 20 ad angles, or a week’s worth of social posts in minutes. Even if you don’t use the output directly, it’s a great way to beat creative block and spark ideas faster.

2. Automate the Boring Stuff

Nobody builds a business for the joy of writing weekly performance reports.
Use AI to:

• Summarise A/B test results

• Generate campaign recaps

• Segment customers based on behaviour

• Draft follow-up emails post-webinar or event

3. Get Leaner

With AI in the mix, a two-person marketing team can punch way above its weight. You don’t need a big agency or an army of freelancers. You just need a clear strategy, people who understand your brand and a bunch of AI tools.

4. Double Down on Insight

AI gives you access to more data than ever. Use AI to:

• Pull patterns from customer feedback

• Cluster search queries by intent

• Spot underperforming SKUs

A Founder’s AI Stack (2025 Edition)

There’s no shortage of AI tools promising to make marketing faster, smarter, and more effective. But with so many options out there, it can be hard to know where to begin. That’s why we’ve handpicked a few tools we’ve personally tried and found helpful so you can skip the overwhelm and start experimenting.

Content & Copy: Jasper AI, Copy.ai, Writesonic

Ad Creative & Strategy: AdCreative.ai, Creatie AI

SEO: Surfer SEO, Frase.io, SEO AI

Email & CRM: Mailmodo AI, HubSpot AI

Design & Visuals: Midjourney, Canva Magic Studio, Freepik, Runway ML

Voice, Video & Influencer Tools: Facetune, Invideo AI, AutoShorts

Every tool adds complexity. The real win is in choosing a few that fit your workflow and mastering them. So, you can pick based on:

• Your stage (MVP vs. scaling)

• Your goals (growth vs. brand vs. retention)

• Your team’s strengths (design-heavy vs. content-led)

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, your customers don’t buy because of AI. They buy because of a story, a brand they trust, and a product that solves a real problem.

AI can help you communicate better, faster, and at scale. But it can’t create that story for you. It can’t build the heart of your brand. That still comes from you- your insights, your instincts, your conversations with users at 11 p.m. and your years of hard-won learning.

So no! AI isn’t here to take over marketing. But founders who learn to partner with it, not compete with it? They’ll work faster, ship smarter, and tell better stories at scale.

And in 2025, that’s a superpower.

At Razorpay Rize, we get it- building a startup is tough. That’s why we’re more than just a space for connecting with other founders. We’ve got programs, tools, and services designed to take some of the weight off the shoulders and make the journey just a little bit easier.

Curious about how we support startup founders?

Dive into Vault today & unlock a world of possibilities.