IDC: Enterprise AI spending will exceed $30 billion in 2027

IDC’s recent forecast suggests that by 2027, enterprises will spend more than $30 billion on AI-related infrastructure, platforms, software, and services to support their ability to compete on highly personalized customer experiences.

As businesses increasingly adopt AI to enhance personalized customer experiences, marketing leaders are under increasing pressure to adapt their strategies and leverage AI effectively.

Abhishek Kumar, Associate Research Director, Enterprise Applications and Customer Experience, IDC Asia Pacific AP, said: “Marketing leaders must remember that technology itself is not a differentiator but an enabler of differentiation. To stand out, they should focus on creating value-based stories and building authentic connections with customers. They need to work closely with IT, data and digital teams to build the necessary AI marketing infrastructure and tools to access accurate customer data profiles in real time and deploy faster, more targeted and more effective marketing campaigns.”

Here are some of the most pressing business and technology trends that marketing leaders must focus on in order to remain resilient in changing market conditions and differentiate themselves by demonstrating competitive advantage.

Automated Journeys: By 2027, it is expected that 45% of traditional B2B lead and demand generation efforts will shift to automated sensing, personalized engagement, and content creation, quickly moving customers to transactional commerce.

Search becomes a conversation: By 2026, 45% of individuals are expected to search for information and engage in conversations with brands through GenAI, forcing marketers to build and optimize human-friendly digital AI as the primary customer interface.

AI Gig Agencies: By 2029, traditional agencies are expected to reduce their staff by 40%, shifting execution to a limited number of AI-enabled contractors and focusing remaining resources on advanced data governance, AI services, and strategy.

Marketing’s New Employee – AI: It is expected that by 2028, one in five marketing roles or functions will be held by AI workers, transforming human expertise to drive strategy, creativity, ethics, and manage a hybrid human and AI workforce.