Elsewhere, Citi Bank is seeking an Ops generative AI software engineer to join its operations engineering and architecture group. This role involves taking a “product-focused approach and build solutions that are robust, scalable, and easy to use” per the job description to “develop foundational components and mature technology capabilities in AI and LLMs.” The salary range for this position is $142,320 – $213,480.
Shifting budgets to AI
Brands are in an arms race, already integrating gen AI to enhance customer experiences via chatbots. Global brands such as Mondelēz International have plans to invest up to $180 million in AI over the next three years, with roughly 13% of its investment earmarked for hiring new roles, ADWEEK has learned. Meanwhile, business leaders on average plan to allocate 5.4% to 7.1% of their functions’ budget to gen AI in 2024, including 6.7% of marketing budgets per Gartner. Brands have made ambitious promises to their board members regarding gen AI strategy, but some are grappling to operationalize these investments, sources said. Regardless, the replacement of human jobs with AI looms on the horizon.
“[Brands] don’t have the level of granularity around what [new talent] and how many [new hires] they need,” and industry executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity told ADWEEK.
Mondelēz is in the early stages of exploring opportunities within AI, the company told ADWEEK, but didn’t disclose the investment specifics.
Organizational restructure
Gen AI entails a new layer of complexity for brands, prompting people within both brands and agencies to grasp the benefits of technology, such as Sora, while assessing its risks and ethical implications.
Navigating this balance could give rise to various new roles within the next year, including ethicists, conversational marketing specialists with expertise in sophisticated chatbots, and data-informed strategists on the brand side, according to Jason Snyder, CTO of IPG agency Momentum Worldwide.
Additionally, Snyder anticipates the emergence of an agency integration specialist role within brands at the corporate level.
“If you’re running a big brand marketing program, you need someone who’s responsible for integrating AI into all aspects of the marketing program,” said Snyder. “[Now] I see this role in in bits and pieces all over the place. [Eventually], whoever owns the budget for the work that’s being done will be closely aligned with that agency integration specialist.”
Shift in labor force, eliminating manual tasks
Brands are pushing the envelope to hire splashy AI leadership roles to bring in skill sets within the organization and prove to the market that brands are serious about AI, said Mark Wagman, managing director of management consultancy firm MediaLink.
Meanwhile, the use of AI varies within each industry. For example, the financial service sector is using AI for fraud detection, risk management, and product development. Whereas, the retail sector is leveraging AI for personalizing customer experiences, optimizing inventory management, and streamlining logistics, according to Lusty.
