AI is doing wonders for B2B marketing by cutting costs and improving productivity. But, as has been the case for the past 56 years, these gains aren’t reflected in people’s paychecks.
According to the “2025 B2B Tech Marketing Salary & AI Career Impact Survey” from Metadata.io and VPMarketing.com, 90% of tech marketers are using AI in their daily work. Yet only 4.7% say those skills have led to a raise or promotion. For a transformation billed as the biggest shift since digital, that’s a striking disconnect.
“We’re investing heavily in learning how to use AI, but it’s not showing up in our comp plans,” said one respondent. And they’re not alone. Nearly 83% of marketers say their AI skills haven’t translated into financial reward.
As writer William Gibson noted, “The future’s already here — it’s just not evenly distributed.”
AI proficiency is rising — without employer support
Not only are companies reaping the rewards of AI, they also haven’t had to pay for the training that’s making it happen. Workers are upskilling on their personal time and personal dime. Seventy percent of respondents are either self-funding their learning or relying solely on free resources. Only 22% say their employer is footing the bill.
Dig deeper: Why AI is the most unpredictable cost in the martech stack
Marketers are generally an optimistic bunch, and most believe AI skills will eventually pay off. Over half expect AI proficiency to command a 5% or more salary premium within the next 1-2 years. In fact, 23% believe that strong AI skills will command a premium of 10% or higher.
When? Not now, that’s for certain. Just under 13% say their AI skills have indirectly contributed to better pay or bigger opportunities, such as being chosen for strategic projects. Tough to pay the bills with an opportunity, though.
So what skills are employers rewarding? Strategic application of AI, according to the survey. The top-cited AI proficiency is the ability to use AI tools to improve productivity and reduce costs (76%). That’s followed by using AI for analytics and customer insights (45%) and leading AI integration initiatives (38%).
In other words, marketers who pair AI skills with business impact are seen as most valuable, and 17% are being rewarded for that value! However, AI on its own isn’t enough — it has to be in service of solving problems, saving time or moving the business forward.
Cautious optimism with underlying anxiety
The AI era isn’t exactly filling marketers with long-term career confidence. While 22% say they’re “very confident” about the opportunities AI will create, nearly 40% feel less secure than they did a year ago.
The most secure segment? Those who are using AI to offload executional work so they can focus more on strategy, creativity, and brand building. They’re not just proficient with AI—they’re using it to elevate their role.
But the largest portion of marketers remains stuck in the middle: adapting quickly, but waiting for recognition — and compensation — to arrive.
The bottom line
The theory is that more skilled workers earn more. However, the theory doesn’t account for a stagnating jobs market, economic headwinds caused by people who don’t understand economics, the inescapable cry of “Maximize shareholder value!” and AI replacing many entry-level white collar workers. All of which is taking place under the Damoclean Sword of an ever-growing AI investment bubble.
Dig deeper: Your AI is not helping if it makes me do the work
On the bright side, no one really knows what the future holds, not even those of us who expect the worst.
The “2025 B2B Tech Marketing Salary & AI Career Impact Survey” from Metadata.io can be found here. Registration required.
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