Marketing AI ROI is Under Scrutiny

The pressure to show returns on marketing AI investment is is coming from boards, CFOs, and shareholders. According to the KPMG Global Tech Report 2026, 55% of tech executives say they struggle to demonstrate the value of AI to stakeholders and shareholders. Only 24% report achieving ROI across multiple use cases, a figure that has dropped seven points from the year before. Adoption is accelerating. Proof is not keeping pace.

For CMOs, this is both a risk and an opening. Marketing typically carries some of the most visible AI spend in the organization - in personalization, content, media optimization, and customer analytics. When leadership asks whether AI is working, marketing is often the first place they look. CMOs who have already moved from activity-based reporting to outcome-based metrics are better positioned to answer that question clearly, and to shape how AI value gets defined across the business.

The opportunity is not just operational. It’s political. The executives who can demonstrate AI returns with clarity tend to attract more investment, more latitude, and more influence over how technology priorities get set. The measurement gap is, in practice, a leadership gap, and it’s one CMOs are well placed to close.