Should Marketers Worry About an AI Bubble?

The conversation in AI has shifted toward whether we’re in an AI bubble. With valuations climbing faster than sustainable revenue, and billions pouring into every corner of the ecosystem, the concern is valid for investors.

But what about marketing leaders who are rebuilding their strategy, team, and workflows around AI? If a bubble pops, or deflates a bit, what happens to everything you’re building?

According to thought leaders like Gartner and Forrester, we aren't facing a "pop" that wipes out the technology, but rather a "reckoning." The market is shifting from experimental hype to a demand for proof of value.

Here is what that reckoning means for rebuilding your marketing function.

1. The Risk is Dependency (So, Decouple Your Strategy)

While Wall Street watches Nvidia, you need to watch for "vendor volatility." As pressure mounts, many AI startups will fold, get acquired, or drastically hike prices to show profitability. We are entering a period of tech Darwinism. The tools you build your processes on today might not exist, or might cost 10x more, in 18 months.

Decouple your strategy from specific tools. Don't build a "ChatGPT Strategy." Build a model-agnostic "AI-Assisted Strategy" where workflows are documented independently of the software. If your AI writer vanishes tomorrow, you should be able to plug in a competitor with minimal disruption.

2. The Mandate is "Human-in-the-Loop"

The fear of an AI bubble reinforces one critical truth: you cannot build a resilient brand on an unstable, hallucinating, or risky automated foundation. The narrative has shifted from "AI replacing marketers" to "AI-literate teams outperforming."

Hire "Orchestrators." As I covered in "Hiring Marketing Talent Today, When AI Is Still Rewriting the Job Description", the goal isn't to hire pure creators or pure managers. You need Orchestrators - people who understand the strategy and use AI to execute the heavy lifting. Orchestrators are resilient; if the AI tool fails or degrades, they have the strategic chops to pivot. Low-level prompters do not.

3. The Safeguard is "Bubble-Proofing" Contracts

You cannot control your vendors, but you can control your agreements. When evaluating tools in this precarious time, operational due diligence is key.

Watch for "Thin Wrappers", startups that are essentially just a user interface built on top of OpenAI or Anthropic. If the underlying model changes or API costs rise, these companies can go bankrupt overnight.

Protect yourself with these safeguards:

• Data Ownership: Ensure you own your data and the fine-tuned models based on it.
• Portability: If a tool stores your content in a format you can't easily export to CSV, it is a high-risk dependency.
• Price Locks: Expect price hikes as vendors scramble for profitability. Negotiate caps on renewal increases now.

The bubble will eventually burst for companies using AI to generate more mediocre noise faster. The companies that survive will be the ones using AI to fix underlying data fragmentation and workflow issues.