Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the workplace, and nowhere is AI’s impact clearer than in the marketing industry. In a recent global survey by McKinsey, 42% of companies reported using AI tools in marketing and sales—more than any other business function.
Greg Boone, newly appointed CEO of digital marketing and branding agency Walk West, is an industry leader who says, “I’m AI serious, so get AI curious.” Named by NC Tech as tech executive of the year in 2018, Boone believes AI should be used responsibly and strategically to enhance, not replace, human ingenuity. He and his Walk West team are leveraging AI-powered tools to streamline processes, improve real-time collaboration and ensure efficient time management.
Boone recently sat down with Amber Keister, Content Strategist at The Diversity Movement, to discuss how marketers—and organizational leaders—can navigate this new era with innovation and integrity.
Amber Keister: Marketing and creative services are leading industries in adopting artificial intelligence. How do you see AI transforming the marketing industry? In other words, how big a deal is this?
Greg Boone: AI is a massive deal in marketing. It has been used behind the scenes for years in paid media and other areas. The rise of generative AI has democratized intelligence, making it accessible to everyone. But it’s not just transforming marketing—it’s changing every business, profession, and life.
Marketing always adapts to consumer behavior. The pandemic accelerated e-commerce adoption, and AI is following a similar pattern. As people integrate AI into their daily lives and jobs, they will expect marketing to meet them where they are. This will transform how we go to market, advertise, and attract customers.
For example, marketers have aimed for hyper-personalization at scale for the last 10 to 15 years. Now, with AI, we can move beyond general personas to truly individualized marketing. Instead of targeting broad groups, AI allows us to tailor content and messaging to individuals based on their specific preferences and behaviors.
You’d be foolish to not use these tools, number one, because of the productivity gains that allow marketers to create content at scale, and number two, to know what consumers really want. The tools are here to actually bring hyper-personalization to scale, and I think it’s going to radically transform marketing for the better.
Amber Keister: Can you give me an example of hyper-personalization?
Greg Boone: Let’s say you’re a B2B marketer targeting a specific industry and role. AI enables you to gather real-time insights about an individual—what they post on social media, what they engage with—and craft highly personalized emails, campaigns, or social posts in seconds. Instead of using broad personas, AI allows marketers to create messages that directly reflect what an individual has shared publicly.
It applies to e-commerce as well. If I wear a size 14 shoe, I don’t want ads for shoes that don’t come in my size. Similarly, a grocery store shouldn’t send meat promotions to a vegan. AI allows brands to understand customers on a deeper level, finally achieving the long-discussed goal of true personalization.
Amber Keister: Let’s shift to inclusive marketing as Walk West has been a leader in this space. A major concern with AI is built-in bias. How do you ensure inclusivity when using AI marketing tools?
Greg Boone: Bias in AI isn’t surprising because AI is trained on data created by humans, and humans have biases. The key is acknowledging this and ensuring that there’s a human in the loop to review and refine AI-generated content. As that is happening, that person is educating the machine, training it to be less biased. But you also have to educate your team to spot bias in AI-generated content.
Amber Keister: That’s a great point. Even as we use these tools and integrate them more in our daily work, we need to be aware of inclusive bias. We have to review what the AI gives us.
Greg Boone: AI can also serve as a bias checker in real-time. For example, if I’m unsure about inclusive language, I can use an AI tool trained on diversity principles to review my message and suggest improvements. Tools like Gemini in Google Workspace already offer this functionality, helping users refine their language before sending an email or publishing content.
Often, people are more willing to take advice from the machine, rather than another person, because AI feedback eliminates shame or embarrassment. When a machine corrects us, there’s no fear of judgment, making it easier to accept and learn from the feedback.
People like to knock the machine, but it can, at times, make us more human. For example, if you say “please” and “thank you” in your gen AI prompts, you tend to get better responses. That behavior will then transfer to your human conversations. A lot of times on Slack, messages, and text, we’re more informal, even rude. Now, people are realizing that their interpersonal communication has improved, because they’ve gotten into the habit of saying “please” and “thank you.”
Amber Keister: What about authentic storytelling—a cornerstone of marketing? How can marketers maintain authenticity while increasingly relying on AI?
Greg Boone: Marketers need to focus on what makes us human. AI can handle repetitive tasks, but creativity, compassion, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication remain uniquely human strengths.
One of AI’s greatest benefits is flipping the time equation. Knowledge workers spend 50–60% of their time searching for information, copying and pasting, or reformatting data. None of that is truly creative or authentic work. If AI can automate those mundane tasks, marketers gain 10 to 20 more hours per week to focus on strategy, storytelling, and human connection. By offloading routine work to AI, marketers can invest more time in crafting compelling narratives, engaging with customers, and fostering real relationships.
Think about it: What makes us human? What makes us more authentic? It’s not doing busy work. Authentic storytelling isn’t about avoiding AI—it’s about using it to enhance creativity and move from the mundane to the mind-blowing.
Amber Keister: That’s a great way to approach the technology, using AI to create more time for high-level, creative work. Is there anything you’d like to add about marketing innovation?
Greg Boone: By the end of 2025, hiring managers in marketing and other fields will be evaluating job candidates based on how effectively they use AI to improve productivity.
The idea that someone is more authentic and more human because they don’t use AI is a false narrative. If you refuse to use AI, you’ll be highly unproductive, spending time in front of your computer instead of making authentic human connections. Imagine if you had more time for lunches, water cooler conversations, or quick phone calls.
Another critical factor is the intersection of employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX). You can’t deliver great customer experiences if your employees don’t have the tools and resources to succeed. AI provides opportunities to enhance employee training, streamline operations, and create a more engaging workplace culture.
The biggest challenge right now isn’t AI capability—it’s adoption. Organizations struggle to implement AI effectively because their teams resist change. As much as I talk about hyper-personalization, increased creativity, and better customer experience—AI is not being integrated fast enough. If leaders don’t bring their entire organization up to speed, they won’t ever get there.
Amber Keister: That’s an important point. Some companies are still hesitant to embrace AI.
Greg Boone: And they don’t have a lot of time. The AI tsunami is coming, whether businesses see it yet or not. The “earthquake” happened two years ago with the rise of generative AI. If you’re standing on the beach waiting to see the wave, it’ll be too late. Now is the time to act.
To discover how senior leaders, managers, and HR professionals can proactively shape an AI-powered workplace that fosters trust, inclusion, and connection, watch “The People Impact of AI: Does AI Help or Harm Employee Engagement?” available now, on-demand. Greg Boone and other webinar panelists will discuss strategies to maximize AI’s benefits, while safeguarding engagement, well-being, and workplace relationships.
