New Metadata.io Report Finds AI Fluency Is Driving up to 3x Higher Pay and Faster Career Advancement in GTM

As AI adoption hits 90%, execution-heavy marketing work is rapidly losing value while AI strategists pull ahead

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Metadata.io, the AI-native digital advertising platform that transforms how modern marketing teams acquire customers and drive business growth, is releasing findings from a new report that analyzes how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping agentic marketing and impacting B2B marketing careers. The study, conducted by Metadata.io and VPofMarketing.com, a Silicon Valley-based search firm placing marketing professionals at SaaS and AI startups, reveals a stark shift underway in the marketing workforce - AI isn't eliminating marketing jobs, it's changing teams, concentrating compensation, and focusing talent around AI fluency.

"AI is completely reshaping marketing — automating execution and rewarding AI-fluent marketers," said Lisa Sharapata, CMO and Head of AI & GTM Strategy at Metadata. "We're entering an agentic era where AI handles tactical work and marketers focus on strategy, creativity, and revenue impact. The winners are the teams using AI to move faster, scale smarter, and drive real business outcomes."

The AI Career Survey, which polled modern go-to-market (GTM) professionals across marketing, growth, and revenue operations roles, shows that while marketing work isn't disappearing, it's reducing headcount. Over the past 12 months, nearly 40% of companies decreased marketing headcount, with more than one in four respondents explicitly or implicitly attributing those cuts to AI adoption. As budgets shift from people to AI-powered tools, fewer marketers are being asked to own more output.

"Our survey confirms that AI fluency isn't just a nice-to-have, it's quickly becoming the defining skill for modern GTM careers," said Dan Green, Principal at VPofMarketing.com. "Marketers who master AI tools are not only more productive, they're commanding higher pay and faster career progression. The divide between AI-native strategists and traditional execution roles is widening, and companies are recognizing the strategic value of operators who can orchestrate AI at scale."

Additional findings from the joint study include:

• AI fluency is becoming immediate labor arbitrage: 90% of marketers now use AI beyond experimentation, with routine execution—content creation, operations, and reporting—rapidly automated. As a result, a single AI-fluent GTM operator can now perform the work of two to four traditional roles, combining strategy with AI-powered execution
• The market is revaluing GTM talent faster than traditional HR cycles can adjust: Nearly 60% of respondents expect AI-driven pay premiums within the next one to two years, with 23.5% anticipating increases of 10% or more tied specifically to AI fluency — roughly 3–5X higher than typical annual merit increases of 2–4% in B2B marketing.¹
• The highest-paid marketers are becoming "AI quarterbacks:" Companies increasingly value professionals who can orchestrate AI systems rather than simply use tools. Respondents cited strategic thinking and business impact (69%), productivity and efficiency (64%), and AI proficiency (30%)—and rising—as the most important drivers of compensation.
• GTM careers are splitting into clear winners and losers: AI-native GTM leaders who delegate execution to AI and focus on strategy are emerging as winners, while execution-only roles face commoditization. Nearly eight in 10 respondents say content roles are the most disrupted by AI.

"AI is driving a fundamental reset in how GTM teams are built," said Gil Allouche, CEO of Metadata. "By Q3 2027, I expect up to 80% of today's commodity marketing roles to be obsolete in their current form as AI automates execution and shifts value toward strategy and revenue leadership, " Said Gil Allouche, CEO and Founder of Metadata.io

"Marketing is changing permanently because AI has shifted where the real work happens," said Amanda Cole, CMO at Bloomreach. "Execution is increasingly automated, and we're living proof of that shift — in 2025, we grew new business pipeline by 20% while reducing costs by 6% with no increase in headcount," said Amanda Cole, CMO at Bloomreach.

For the full report visit Metadata.io, and to learn more about Agentic Marketing and how AI is reshaping go-to-market teams, visit https://metadata.io.

About Metadata.io
Metadata.io is the AI-driven digital advertising platform that transforms how modern marketing teams acquire customers and drive business growth. Designed to automate campaigns at scale, Metadata's autonomous AI Agents test and execute thousands of results-based experiments across personal and professional paid channels. By leveraging real-time performance data, Metadata eliminates guesswork and optimizes performance for a more qualified pipeline at lower customer acquisition costs. Metadata helps performance marketers move faster, scale smarter, and focus on strategy, so they can reclaim the creativity and impact of their work—and fall in love with marketing again. Learn more at www.metadata.io.

¹ Typical annual merit increases in U.S. B2B and technology marketing roles generally fall in the low single digits (approximately 2–4%), according to compensation benchmark data from WorldatWork Salary Budget Surveys, SHRM compensation reports, and Radford/Aon technology salary surveys.

SOURCE Metadata.io