Gartner Predicts AI Will Allow the Majority of High-Performing Marketing Teams to Eliminate Traditional Bottom Rungs of the Corporate Ladder by 2030

By 2030, AI will allow the majority of high-performing marketing teams to eliminate the traditional bottom rungs of the corporate ladder, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company. 

As AI automates foundational marketing activities, CMOs must rethink how they hire and develop junior marketers to protect their future leadership pipelines.

“AI offers CMOs an opportunity to rethink entry-level marketing, not eliminate it,” said Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone, VP Analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “CMOs should give junior marketers exposure to higher-value work earlier, building the judgment, strategic thinking and AI orchestration skills they will need to become future marketing leaders.”

AI Is Already Reshaping Marketing Roles

A Gartner survey of 1,303 senior leaders conducted from January through April 2026 found that 18% of marketing leaders have eliminated certain functional roles due to automation, while 16% have created new roles and nearly one-third have redesigned roles.

As AI takes on more execution work, marketers can shift toward higher-value strategic work. However, without deliberate intervention, organizations risk creating a leadership pipeline gap as fewer employees gain the experience needed to develop judgment, business acumen and contextual expertise. 

“The biggest risk is mistaking the automation of entry-level tasks for the elimination of the need for entry-level talent,” said LaRocca-Cerrone. “CMOs need to replace development opportunities lost to automation by giving junior marketers responsibility for evaluating AI outputs, generating insights and contributing to strategic decisions earlier in their careers.”

CMOs Must Redesign the Entry-Level Marketing Experience

As AI reshapes traditional entry-level work, CMOs should:

• Rethink hiring: Assess candidates on their ability to evaluate and improve AI-enabled work, including judgment and critical thinking

• Redesign onboarding: Move junior marketers toward higher-value responsibilities earlier, including auditing AI outputs, generating insights and connecting recommendations to business outcomes

• Accelerate development: Use coaching and mentorship to help early-career marketers learn how experienced colleagues evaluate trade-offs, make decisions and apply business context 

“CMOs who redesign entry-level roles now can build a stronger pipeline of marketers equipped to contribute strategically to an AI-enabled organization,” said LaRocca-Cerrone.