Artificial intelligence is reshaping how product marketing teams work across the advertising industry. Research happens faster. Insights appear sooner. Competitive analysis that once took hours can now take minutes.
But one question remains unchanged.
Who decides what actually matters?
In the latest episode of Voices of AdTech, I speak with two leaders working at the center of this shift. Marisa Mendes, Director of Product Marketing in London, and Claudie Mille, Senior Director of Product Marketing in Paris. Together we explore how AI is changing the day to day work of product marketing in adtech and where human judgment still plays a critical role.
AI Is Accelerating Product Marketing Work
One of the most immediate changes AI brings is speed. Product marketing teams spend significant time gathering signals from the market. Competitive activity, product developments, and industry shifts all influence positioning and go to market strategies. AI can now automate parts of that work. Information that once required hours of research can be collected and analyzed in minutes.
That speed creates space for something more valuable.
Strategic thinking.
Yet faster information does not remove the need for judgment. Marisa Mendes points out that the core responsibility of product marketing is not gathering insights. It is deciding what to do with them. Turning data into positioning, narrative, and strategy still requires human ownership. AI can support the process, but the decision remains with people.
Adopting these tools also requires more than simply providing access. Claudie Mille highlights a challenge many organizations underestimate. Teams need time to learn. Experimentation is necessary before AI becomes genuinely useful in daily workflows. Without that space to test, question, and adapt, new tools often remain underused.
In that sense, AI adoption becomes an organizational decision as much as a technological one.
The Evolving Role of Product Marketing
The conversation also highlights how the skills required in product marketing are evolving. One capability becoming increasingly important is the ability to lead without authority. Product marketing sits between multiple functions including product, sales, and marketing. Alignment across these groups often depends on influence rather than formal decision power. Building trust and helping teams rally around a shared vision becomes essential.
Another skill gaining importance is simplification.
The adtech ecosystem grows more complex every year. New formats, platforms, and technologies appear constantly. Product marketers must understand that complexity. Their job is to translate it into clear narratives that sales teams, publishers, and advertisers can easily understand.
AI, Publishers, and the Future of the Ecosystem
Beyond internal workflows, AI is also reshaping the publisher ecosystem.
Publishers face a growing challenge as AI platforms make generic information easier to access. This increases the importance of editorial identity. Publishers must offer a clear reason for audiences to visit their platforms directly. AI can improve efficiency and help publishers use data more intelligently. But long term differentiation will come from voice, trust, and unique content.
At the same time, AI environments are quickly becoming a new monetization channel. With more than 1.8 billion people already using AI tools globally, advertising will likely follow the same path it once took with search and social platforms.
The challenge will be integration.
Advertising must appear in ways that maintain transparency and user trust. Clear labeling and responsible implementation will be essential if these environments are to grow sustainably.
Rethinking the Future of Work
The conversation also touches on something deeper than technology. It raises a question about the kind of work environment we want to build.
AI is often framed as a productivity tool. Faster insights. Faster outputs. More tasks completed. But the real opportunity may be different.
If AI helps teams save time, that time does not have to be reinvested only in producing more. It can help us design healthier ways of working. Space to think. Space to collaborate. Space to sustain performance over time.
AI may accelerate the pace of work.
Judgment still decides what matters.
To hear the full conversation and insights from Marisa Mendes and Claudie Mille, listen to the latest episode of Voices of AdTech. Click here.