Entrepreneur Alarabiya recently featured this translated to English interview as part of its coverage on leadership and innovation in the region. In the conversation, I discuss why marketing remains a strategic starting point even in the age of AI and why leadership, not tools, determines impact.
I explore the “human → machine → human” model, the importance of digital fluency, and how organisations can embed AI across every function without losing alignment or rhythm.
At its core, the discussion reinforces a central belief that AI accelerates execution, but leadership shapes direction.
Original link on Entrepreneurs Alarabiya for Arabic readers. Marketing, Branding, and the Role of AI | Entrepreneurs Magazine
Marketing has always been a strategic starting point in mature organisations. Even in the age of AI, brand creation, positioning, and content strategy must be built early to influence demand and long-term value. AI accelerates execution, which is why I rely on the “human → machine → human” model to ensure relevance and quality.
In well-aligned organisations, marketing leadership is central to revenue, reputation, and value creation. Where this isn’t yet the case, there is real opportunity for organisations to elevate marketing’s strategic contribution. Budgeting should be shaped around business strategy, with tight cross-functional alignment to drive sustainable growth.
How can AI tools create true integration that enhances all aspects of the product, operations, and leadership, rather than simply automating tactics?
AI must be embedded across the entire organisational workflow, from product innovation and development to marketing, operations, and customer experience. It shouldn’t be an afterthought, but a capability that enables smarter decisions and greater efficiency. It also requires experimentation and digital fluency to master tools with purpose.
Leaders must sponsor this shift, because AI transformation is ultimately a change-leadership challenge. While marketing may feel the impact first through generative AI and speed, every function becomes more effective as AI enhances processes, amplifies talent, and strengthens the organisation’s operating system.
Some brands flow through their marketing operations with a harmonious rhythm. How can AI tools support this holistic alignment without disrupting the workflow dynamics of small businesses?
All brands, large or small, need a smooth marketing workflow to build a strong foundation that influences demand. AI shouldn’t disrupt that rhythm; it should protect and enhance it. With so many tools on the market, organisations should focus only on those that genuinely improve efficiency or effectiveness and leave the rest. The goal is to integrate AI into established workflows so teams can access tools that truly lift productivity. When introduced intentionally and incrementally, AI strengthens alignment across marketing and operations without disturbing the natural cadence of the business.
What initiatives are driving major transformations in companies that use AI in marketing?
AI has been influencing marketing long before the rise of generative tools, from predictive analytics and personalisation to programmatic algorithms and CRMs intelligence. What’s changed with generative AI is scale and accessibility. The most transformative initiatives focus on sponsoring the learning curve across the organisation and shifting digital fluency from a team capability to an individual responsibility. Every professional must understand how and why to use AI in their work. At the organisational level, leaders are building governance frameworks to manage risk, quality, and transparency. When paired with a human → machine → human model, AI enhances efficiency, creativity, and go-to-market impact rather than being a shiny add-on.
What do you think about the role of leadership-driven marketing under AI dominance, and can teams change their culture as AI takes over routine tasks?
Marketing leadership is non-negotiable in the AI era. Leaders must set the conditions for a healthy marketing function and guide teams through their digital fluency journey. AI won’t dominate unless organisations allow the noise to overwhelm them. Adoption should be purposeful providing intention and skill. As routine tasks are solved through AI, culture change becomes a change-leadership initiative, starting with leaders who actively sponsor digital literacy and new ways of working across the organisation. When leaders champion these programmes, teams adapt with confidence, and marketing becomes genuinely leadership-driven rather than tool-driven.
What new language does marketing need to replace outdated terminology, especially with AI introducing data-driven precision?
Technology has fundamentally changed how we communicate, accelerating everything across digital ecosystems. In this environment, where marketing channels are constantly evolving, marketers are evolving too. The industry needs to move past legacy terms like “digital vs traditional,” for example which no longer serve us. They don’t reflect how audiences behave or how modern marketing teams operate. Creativity and technology have already merged in practice, and that convergence is shaping a new marketing leadership vocabulary; a shift I explore further in my book.