Dentsu Creative’s 2026 CMO Report shows that 94% of Indian marketers expect AI-enabled workflows to become standard across major agencies. The finding highlights India’s strong AI adoption, while also pointing to growing expectations around creativity, transparency and measurable marketing impact.
AI Workflows Expected to Become Standard in India
AI-enabled agency workflows are moving from an emerging trend to an expected part of marketing operations in India. According to Dentsu Creative’s 2026 CMO Report, 94% of Indian marketers surveyed agree that AI-enabled workflows will become the norm in every major agency.
The India figure is higher than the global figure of 83% and close to the 95% recorded in China. The findings indicate that Indian marketing leaders are particularly open to integrating artificial intelligence into agency processes.
The report is based on research involving 1,950 senior marketing decision-makers across 14 markets. Dentsu’s wider 2026 research examines how CMOs are adapting marketing strategies to changes in technology, consumer behaviour and media.
The finding comes as agencies and brands increasingly use AI for research, content adaptation, optimisation, personalisation and other marketing activities.
Indian Marketers Show Strong Confidence in AI
India’s high level of confidence is visible in several other findings from the report.
Only 38% of Indian CMOs surveyed believe AI-assisted creativity is currently unable to capture their brand’s tone of voice, look and feel. Globally, that concern stands at 62%.
Indian marketers also appear less uncomfortable with delegating certain tasks to agentic AI systems. While 63% of CMOs globally say they are uncomfortable delegating high-stakes tasks to agentic AI because of reputational concerns, the figure falls to 46% in India.
Privacy and security remain concerns, but India again reports lower levels of discomfort than the global average. Around 47% of Indian respondents express concern in this area compared with 65% globally.
These figures suggest that Indian marketers are not simply experimenting with AI. Many are becoming more comfortable with using it as part of regular marketing operations.
From AI Efficiency to Marketing Impact
The bigger change is that marketers are becoming less interested in AI simply because it can produce work faster.
Dentsu’s 2026 research points to a shift from efficiency towards impact and effectiveness. Globally, 74% of CMOs agree that producing more assets does not necessarily result in greater impact. Another 76% are concerned that their organisations are producing more content without receiving equivalent visibility or impact.
This creates a challenge for advertising and marketing agencies. If AI makes content production faster and cheaper, agencies may be able to produce significantly more campaigns, variations and creative assets. But increased output does not automatically mean stronger brand performance.
The next question is whether agencies can use AI to understand consumers more effectively, improve personalisation, identify useful signals and connect creative work with measurable business outcomes.
Dentsu’s APAC findings reinforce this direction. Ninety-three percent of APAC CMOs expect agencies to demonstrate that AI improves marketing impact and effectiveness, while 92% want greater transparency about how agencies use AI.
Dynamic Customer Signals Gain Importance
AI adoption is also changing how marketers think about audiences.
According to the India findings, 92% of marketers believe targeting dynamic customer signals is more important than relying on static customer segments. This compares with around 85% across the developed markets covered by the report.
Traditional marketing segmentation often groups customers according to characteristics such as age, location or past purchasing behaviour. Dynamic signals allow marketers to respond to more immediate changes in consumer behaviour and intent.
For example, a consumer’s recent search activity, browsing behaviour or interaction with a brand can provide signals that may be more useful for a particular campaign than a broad demographic category.
This can be especially relevant in India, where consumer behaviour varies significantly between metros, Tier-2 cities and smaller towns. AI-powered marketing systems can potentially help brands adjust messaging and targeting to changing customer needs across different markets.
The effectiveness of this approach, however, depends on the quality of data, privacy safeguards and human oversight.
Human Creativity Remains a Key Differentiator
The growing role of AI does not mean Indian CMOs expect human creativity to disappear.
Dentsu’s report presents an important contradiction. AI-enabled workflows are expected to become standard, but technology itself may become less useful as a competitive differentiator when similar tools are widely available.
Globally, 79% of CMOs believe AI alone will not provide a competitive advantage. Instead, they see the combination of AI and human ingenuity as the bigger opportunity.
Another 83% believe AI should give talented people greater capabilities rather than replace them.
This distinction matters for advertising agencies. When multiple agencies have access to similar AI models, platforms and automation tools, the difference may increasingly come from strategy, cultural understanding, creative judgement and the ability to build ideas that connect with consumers.
For Indian agencies, AI may therefore change the way creative teams work without eliminating the need for writers, designers, strategists, account teams and other specialists.
India Is Also Investing in Real-World Experiences
Another notable finding is that India’s AI enthusiasm is happening alongside stronger interest in physical experiences.
The report says 87% of Indian CMOs plan to invest more in real-world experiences, compared with 82% globally. The number rises to 91% when Indian CMOs are asked about investment in immersive offline or in-person experiences.
This may appear counterintuitive at first. As digital tools become more sophisticated, marketers might be expected to shift further towards virtual interactions. Instead, the data suggests that physical experiences are gaining importance as brands look for ways to create stronger connections with consumers.
For brands operating across India’s diverse markets, this could include retail experiences, events, community initiatives and other forms of direct consumer engagement.
The trend also reflects a wider APAC pattern, where marketers are placing considerable importance on human connection and experiences alongside technology-driven marketing.
What AI Adoption Means for Advertising Agencies
The growing acceptance of AI is likely to change how agencies organise their work.
Routine activities such as content adaptation, optimisation, research assistance and data analysis can increasingly be supported by AI. This could allow marketing professionals to spend more time on strategy, creative development, customer understanding and decision-making.
However, agencies will also face pressure to explain how AI is being used. Transparency is becoming an important part of the client-agency relationship.
Dentsu’s APAC findings show that 92% of CMOs want greater transparency from agency partners around AI use. That means agencies may need clearer processes around data handling, human review, model usage and accountability.
The commercial model could also change. AI-enabled production may challenge traditional pricing structures based primarily on hours or the volume of work delivered. Clients may increasingly expect agencies to demonstrate the business value created by AI-supported campaigns.
Tier-2 and Tier-3 Markets Could Benefit From AI Marketing
The implications extend beyond India’s largest advertising markets.
Businesses operating in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities increasingly use digital platforms to reach customers beyond their immediate geographic markets. AI-powered tools can potentially help smaller businesses create multiple versions of content, analyse customer responses and personalise campaigns without requiring large marketing teams.
For regional brands, language and cultural context will remain particularly important. A campaign that works in Mumbai may not necessarily work in Nagpur, Jaipur, Lucknow or smaller markets without adaptation.
AI can assist with scale, but human understanding remains necessary to ensure that marketing messages are culturally appropriate and relevant.
This combination could become increasingly important as India’s digital advertising market expands beyond metropolitan audiences.
The Next Phase Will Focus on Results
The Dentsu findings suggest that India’s marketing industry is entering a more practical phase of AI adoption.
The initial discussion around AI focused heavily on productivity, automation and the ability to generate content quickly. The next stage is likely to be judged by whether these capabilities improve customer relationships, brand relevance and business performance.
For agencies, simply having access to AI tools may no longer be enough. Clients are likely to ask how those tools improve campaigns, how data is protected, where humans remain responsible and what measurable results follow.
For marketers, the challenge will be finding the right balance between automation and human judgement.
India’s 94% figure shows that AI-enabled agency workflows are expected to become mainstream. But the same research makes another point clear: widespread AI access may make human creativity, strategy, empathy and cultural understanding even more valuable.
Key Takeaways
- 94% of Indian marketers expect AI-enabled workflows to become standard across major agencies.
- Indian marketers show greater confidence in AI-assisted creativity and agentic AI than the global averages reported by Dentsu.
- Agencies are expected to demonstrate measurable marketing impact and provide greater transparency around AI use.
- Human creativity, strategic thinking and customer understanding remain important as AI becomes more widely available.
FAQs
What did Dentsu’s 2026 CMO Report find about AI in India?
The report found that 94% of Indian marketers surveyed expect AI-enabled workflows to become the norm in every major agency. The figure compares with 83% globally.
Why are Indian CMOs adopting AI so quickly?
Indian marketers show relatively high confidence in AI-assisted creativity, dynamic customer signals and agentic AI. The country’s rapidly changing digital consumer environment is also encouraging marketers to explore technology-led approaches.
Will AI replace advertising agency professionals?
The Dentsu findings do not suggest that AI will simply replace human marketers. Instead, many CMOs see AI as a tool that can increase the capabilities of talented professionals. Strategy, creativity, empathy and human judgement remain important.
What will agencies need to prove as AI becomes mainstream?
Agencies will increasingly need to demonstrate that AI improves marketing effectiveness and business outcomes. They will also face greater expectations around transparency, data use, human oversight and accountability.
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