How AI is Changing Social Media Marketing — And Why You Should Care

 Picture this: you’re scrolling through TikTok or Instagram, a video catches your eye, an ad seems to know exactly what you like, and a post pops up just when you were thinking about it. It feels like magic, but it’s not —  it’s artificial intelligence (AI) quietly running the show. Today, brands aren’t guessing what people might enjoy. They’re using AI to understand behavior and spot trends.

        AI isn’t just a tech buzzword: it’s the engine powering much of modern social media marketing. According to a 2024 report by Sprout Social, over 80% of marketers using AI or machine learning tools see noticeable improvements in engagement and productivity (Sprout Social, 2024). AI has many unique features, one of them is that it can predict what people want to see, and when. That’s why the right ad shows up at the right moment. Also it scans millions of posts, comments, and hashtags to find what’s trending – sometimes even before it goes viral which allows brands to respond quickly and stay relevant. Marketers mainly use AI to generate drafts for captions, images, and videos after which  humans then bring humor, personality, and storytelling that the AI can’t replicate.  

           Some brands show just how powerful this technology can be. Take Heinz, for instance. They used DALL-E, which is an AI image generator, to create surreal, eye-catching visuals of ketchup bottles for an online campaign. People couldn’t stop sharing the posts, and the campaign went viral (Eweek, 2023). Mastercard takes a slightly different approach, tracking “micro-trends” to spot short-lived but exciting online conversations. This allows them to jump in with creative, relevant content almost instantly (Sprout Social, 2024). Then there’s Omneky, which is a company that provides AI-powered marketing and advertising solutions, and runs hundreds of ad variations to see which ones perform best — helping companies save money and get more engagement (Wikipedia, 2024). It’s like brands have a crystal ball, powered by data and AI, showing them not just what people liked yesterday, but what they’re likely to love tomorrow. 

         AI is powerful and a unique tool, but it comes with challenges. For example, content that feels 100% AI-generated can seem robotic. People might show little interest as they usually connect with stories that feel real, human, and relatable. Also the main point for AI is that it learns from past data, which can carry stereotypes or misinterpret cultural context. This can lead to awkward or even offensive messaging. It’s important to protect privacy when working with a tool of this scale. Even with these challenges, the key is balance: using AI to assist, not replace, human creativity.

You may ask why should we care? It's important to remember that AI isn’t just something marketers use – it shapes what you see every day. Every scroll, like, and comment feeds the algorithm that influences content creation. Learning to combine creativity (storytelling, humor, originality) with technology (data analysis, AI tools, trend awareness) is a skill that’s only going to grow in value. The most successful modern marketers aren’t the ones relying solely on machines, they’re the people who guide AI with human insight.

       AI is turning social media marketing from guesswork into strategy. But machines can’t replace the human spark — the imagination, empathy, and storytelling that truly connect people. The future belongs to those who know how to use AI as a tool while keeping the human touch at the heart of every campaign. Nowadays a good skill to have is to know how to preserve yourself in a world of AI. 

Written by: Beniamin Palagashvili 

Edited by: Ninia Tsiklauri