Key stat: 73% of marketers worldwide use generative AI for visual, image or video production, but just 41% use it for testing and optimization, according to a May survey from WARC and TikTok.

Beyond the chart:

• More assets haven't meant better ones. 88% of marketers say AI has increased their creative output, but less than half (45%) say their quality is significantly better, according to the same WARC and TikTok study.
• Meanwhile, humans are picking up the quality control that AI isn't doing. 89% of marketers now manually check AI output, up from 80%, according to Ahrefs.

Use this chart: Drop this chart into your creative planning deck to show where peers already use gen AI. Visual production leads at 73%, while testing trails at 41%. Use that gap to argue for AI budget that proves which assets perform, not just more assets.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Content Marketing 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Marketing Data Trends 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the July 2026 WARC and TikTok report "The New Creative Advantage." 400 marketers from the UK, US, Australia and Brazil were surveyed during May 2026. All respondents are directly involved in decisions about how marketing creative and content are produced.