ACAM Reports Marketers Struggle With Agentic AI

The Australian Centre for AI in Marketing (ACAM) reports that marketers are struggling to understand the practical implications of agentic AI, based on findings to be published in its 2026 AI Marketing Benchmark due in July, as reported by Mumbrella and B&T. A global 2026 survey from ACAM partner Adobe of 3,000 CX executives and practitioners found 63% expect agentic AI to give employees more time for strategic and creative work and 42% plan to design distinctive AI agent personalities for different audiences, per the coverage. Despite those expectations, the reporting states a majority of respondents have no active use of agentic AI and fewer than a quarter are running limited pilots. ACAM also cites an Adobe consumer study that found 20% of Australians have used agentic AI and 42% expect to use it in daily life this year.

The coverage frames agentic AI as a next step beyond generative models that primarily boost individual output. Reported figures show enthusiasm among leaders but limited operational deployment. Reported consumer uptake across sectors includes growing use of AI assistants for online shopping (30%), travel (29%), and banking (23%), per ACAM's summary as presented in the articles.

Editorial analysis: Operational friction points implicit in the reporting include capability building, governance, and measurable value creation. When reported surveys show high intent but low pilot rates, comparable industry patterns suggest teams often lack clear success metrics, end-to-end data flows, and stakeholder alignment needed to scale agentic systems. For practitioners, those are the practical gaps likely to consume project time and budget if not addressed early.

Observers should track ACAM's full 2026 AI Marketing Benchmark when released in July for methodology and sample breakdowns; vendor product launches that include governance or orchestration features; and case studies showing measurable business outcomes from agentic deployments. Also watch whether follow-up surveys show movement from pilots to production and whether standards or vendor toolkits emerge to shorten integration timelines.