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Those who have already embedded the necessary guardrails in their workflows, having elevated their capabilities to utilise the technology to their full advantage, are capitalising on the advantages that the emergence of artificial intelligence has brought.

Indeed, AI adoption for many has now moved beyond experimentation, with 2026 CIM research revealing that 99% of marketing decision-makers at large businesses are seeking a return on their AI investment by 2030.

However, the rate of AI adoption is outpacing the rate of upskilling at many organisations, presenting a real compliance risk for those failing to keep up with the rapid pace of change. Because of this, companies will need to invest in AI capability initiatives to ensure they don’t breach regulations.

AI usage alone, however, will not drive organisational growth. The next phase of marketing maturity in the GCC depends not on further adoption, but on organisational alignment.

AI has created a new alignment challenge

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in day-to-day operations, marketing can no longer operate in isolation. The technology has implications far beyond the marketing function, affecting legal and compliance teams, IT departments, HR functions, and senior leadership teams alike.

To manage these changes effectively, executive leaders - often working closely with HR teams - will need to establish clear policies governing when and how AI tools can be used by employees. These guidelines will provide much-needed clarity, helping teams understand the opportunities and limitations of AI while ensuring its use aligns with organisational goals, and drives revenue.

For marketers, these guardrails will shape how campaigns are planned and how content is created. In organisations that take a more progressive approach to AI adoption, employees may be encouraged to work alongside AI agents that act as virtual assistants, automating repetitive tasks, improving productivity and producing content for human-review. This human oversight will remain essential to ensure quality, accuracy and brand consistency.

Once AI governance frameworks have been established, collaboration across departments doesn't stop there. All business functions will need to work closely with IT, legal and compliance teams to ensure AI is being deployed responsibly, securely and ethically. This includes addressing issues such as data privacy, copyright and regulatory compliance.

Continuing to work in silos will not be sustainable. Organisations that want to unlock the benefits of AI while remaining compliant and protecting stakeholder trust will need to adopt a more integrated approach.

Breaking down silos to create impact

There are severe consequences for businesses that aren't aligned.

The errors, duplication of work, bottlenecks and lack of standardisation that come from this misalignment can damage organisational culture, and create resentment and friction that make leads harder to generate and convert, which ultimately stunts growth. As a result, working in silos doesn’t just create short-term compliance risks; it endangers the long-term culture, costing businesses revenue every day.

This misalignment doesn’t just cause internal issues - it can also affect consumers through disconnected consumer experiences. This is where marketing and sales departments must align to provide a smooth and consistent customer journey, confident in their own roles, but willing to co-operate and share insightful data that can help generate and convert leads.

This is especially important in B2B marketing, where the buying process is often longer, and the need to build trust over an extended period is greater.

Leadership's role in ensuring alignment

It’s incumbent on senior leaders within organisations to achieve alignment across a business, but they need to ensure they are on the same wavelength as their other executives.

Research from McKinsey found that when CEOs and CMOs were asked independently what marketing's main responsibility was, just 50% of matched pairs gave the same answer.

This is where capability building at a team and organisational level is crucial - and at the Chartered Institute of Marketing - we are committed to supporting businesses. The CIM Company Affiliate Partnership Programme is designed for organisations committed to long-term excellence.

Through the programme, CIM provides flexible, scalable solutions to organisations to ensure their teams remain at the forefront of the profession. Designed for organisations committed to long-term excellence, it also provides access to the full spectrum of CIM resources at scale, from team-wide membership, bespoke training programmes, and preferential rates on development solutions. This allows businesses to optimise their budgets while fostering a high-performing culture.

Business transformation in the GCC

AI is accelerating collaboration across business functions and reshaping how organisations make decisions, giving marketers real‑time insights to act quickly and confidently. Yet this shift reinforces a critical truth: achieving meaningful alignment is fundamentally a leadership challenge, not a technology challenge.

This conversation is particularly relevant and important in the UAE, where AI adoption is rapidly moving from ambition to implementation. The UAE Government has announced plans to transform 50% of federal government services and operations into autonomous AI-powered models within the next two years, while continuing to invest heavily in national AI capability, infrastructure and workforce development.

As AI becomes embedded across both the public and private sectors, organisations will need more than technology alone. Marketing teams must be equipped to work across functions, align with governance frameworks and translate AI investment into measurable business and customer value.

The next stage of marketing maturity in the GCC

Looking ahead, the organisations that will lead the next stage of marketing maturity in the GCC will not be those using the most AI tools, or scale their AI adoption the fastest, but those that have created the conditions for those tools to deliver meaningful business value.

In this sense, the value of people and their ability to achieve organisational alignment remains crucial to business success. Organisations that invest in developing their people alongside their technology will be better positioned to adapt as AI continues to evolve, while maintaining the trust of customers, employees and regulators.

The opportunity for businesses across the GCC is significant. As governments continue to champion digital transformation and AI innovation, organisations that combine technological capability with cross-functional collaboration will be best placed to accelerate growth.

Author: Saria Hayek, CIM GCC Regional Manager