By Chris Koehler, Chief Marketing Officer at Twilio
AI has moved beyond the hype to become a vital part of how we work and live. In marketing, it’s actually rewriting the rules – from adaptive audience segmentation to predictive lead scoring and self-optimising campaigns that learn and improve with every click. AI empowers brands to move faster, act smarter, and build deeper customer relevance at scale.
Becoming an AI-first marketer goes beyond simply adopting new tools. It requires marketers to rethink their role in a world where intelligence and context can be embedded into every interaction customers have. It’s about moving from reactive to proactive, from manual to automated, and from generic to hyper-personalised. AI-first marketers don’t just use AI to optimise campaigns, they design strategies around it, allowing data and machine learning to guide decisions, uncover insights, and deliver personalisation at scale. This transformation empowers teams to operate with greater agility and connect with customers in more authentic, impactful ways.
Automating routine tasks frees marketers to do what really matters: test, learn, and act on high-quality insights with speed and confidence. Brands can now learn what works and what doesn’t on a much quicker and larger scale, enabling faster iteration and smarter decision-making. Instead of waiting weeks for campaign results, teams can access real-time performance data, adjust messaging on the fly, and continuously refine their approach. This agility not only improves outcomes but also fosters a culture of experimentation, where insights drive innovation and every campaign becomes a learning opportunity. For marketers, it means they need to focus on getting better at the things AI can’t do. Strong collaboration, leadership and agility will only become more important in the coming years.
But AI’s impact goes beyond efficiency – it’s about making connections. When paired with rich data, AI enables marketers to move past shallow personalisation. It’s not just about adding a name to an email; it’s about truly understanding customers as individuals at scale. Twilio’s State of Customer Engagement Report shows 71% of consumers abandon purchases when brands fail to connect personally, while 88% will spend more when engagement is personalised in real-time. The message is clear: transactional marketing is out. Relevance, timing and connection are the way forward.
AI in the real world
In the fashion industry, for example, marketers are leveraging AI to deliver tailored product recommendations, dynamic email content, and curated shopping journeys that reflect each customer’s unique preferences. Luxury retailer LUISAVIAROMA is one example of a company taking this approach, having unified all the customer data they have to hand and consolidating it into distinct customer profiles. From there, they’re using AI-powered insights to generate predictions and surface relevant products. This not only boosts conversion rates but also deepens emotional connections, turning casual browsers into loyal brand advocates.
The travel industry is seeing similar innovation. AI is being used to personalise trip suggestions based on user preferences, past bookings, and even real-time factors like weather or local events. Predictive models enable dynamic pricing and optimal travel time recommendations, while AI-powered chatbots provide instant support and itinerary updates. These capabilities create seamless, intuitive experiences that feel custom-built for each traveller, again, enhancing satisfaction and driving repeat engagement.
Leading by example
At Twilio, we’re transitioning our entire marketing organisation to become AI-first. This means embedding it into our daily marketing operations. We use it to route 90% of inbound interest, deflect 75% of support tickets, and cut campaign launch times by the same amount. AI helps us identify segments, generate creative variations, and summarise performance so we can act on insights the very same day. This also means changing our way of thinking, fundamentally reimagining how we connect with our customers, how quickly we move and iterate, and how we inspire our teams to continuously raise the bar.
We’re still figuring out just how far AI can go, there’s a lot we don’t know yet. We must be comfortable with the uncomfortable as one thing’s for certain: AI has levelled the playing field. Marketers need to stay curious and make the most of every opportunity to learn and grow while always keeping their ethical responsibilities front and centre. That means collecting and using data transparently, with clear consent, and ensuring that every insight is used to build trust, not just drive performance. It’s embracing what I call a learner’s mindset: stay humble, ask plenty of questions, share both wins and setbacks, and keep evolving.
The future of marketing isn’t AI versus human, it’s AI plus human. That’s where that real magic happens. And that’s how we build campaigns that not only perform, but truly connect.
Let’s not just marvel at what AI can do, but focus on what we do best. What sets us apart as humans is our ability to lead with empathy, collaborate across teams, and adapt to what customers need in real time. This is what gives marketing its edge.
