I’ve been diving into Ahrefs’ latest study, The State of AI in Content Marketing (June 2025), and it’s packed with must-know stats for anyone navigating the new content landscape.
1. AI in content marketing is the norm now
- 87% of marketers rely on AI tools for content creation.
- 4% publish fully generated content without human edits.
- Please do not do this! AI should create your first draft, not your final draft!
- 96% take the output and review it, making revisions, and vetting sources.
- YES! This is good to see. Please always have human review.
- Why is this important? I once had AI serve up a quote from The Onion!
- A whopping 80% still manually double-check for accuracy.
- This is also good to see. Human review and revision is critical to good AI content.
Why this matters to you: Ahref’s content marketing report supports the fact that AI isn’t replacing humans, it’s partnering with us. Use it smartly, but own the final say.
2. Faster growth & more output
- Companies using AI grow 5 percentage points faster, 29% vs. 24% year-over-year.
- Teams using AI tend to publish 47% more content: 17 pieces per month vs. 12 for non-AI users.
- Frankly, I’m surprised this disparity isn’t larger, given that AI can transform one really good piece of content into dozens more to be optimized in different forms.
What that means: Ahref’s content marketing report proves smarter output beats just more output. Strategy matters just as much as volume. This is why I am a fan of using AI to repurpose your top-performing content so it continues to deliver for you on different channels.
3. It’s cheaper—without losing value
- Human-written content costs 4.7× more than AI-generated content.
- Yet, performance is nearly the same, and only 6% plan to reduce human content spend.
Takeaway: Use AI for scale, but keep humans in the loop for quality and nuance.
4. Accuracy and misinformation are top concerns
- 60% of non-AI users cite accuracy fears as a barrier.
- While I understand that people fear AI, but the antidote to fear is always knowledge. So, if you are among this 60%, contact us about a custom AI training. Once you understand how to use AI ethically and effectively, your fears will disappear.
- And 62% worry about AI spreading misinformation.
- This is a legit concern. It’s incredibly easy to spread misinformation with AI. Brands need to utilize digital and audio watermarks to ensure a single source of a truth. Meanwhile, individuals must make it a habit to seek the source for content they see online.
Our response: Vet every claim. Fact-check. Use your company’s RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) when creating your own content. This will help ensure you are sourcing trusted, reliable content when you generate something. And, remember AI isn’t accidentally malicious, but it can hallucinate. So, always seek the source. Trust, but verify.
5. The AI toolkit is deep—ChatGPT leads the pack
- ChatGPT is used by 44%, followed by Gemini (15%) and Claude (10%).
- A full 94 AI tools were cited overall.
Your move: Experiment with a few. Stick with what complements your workflow best. One size definitely doesn’t fit all. I also recommend you first look at your existing tech stack. Many tools have AI integrations now, so you may not need to add new subscriptions.
How to build your AI-powered content workflow
Final thoughts
This isn’t science fiction, it’s today’s content reality. Ahrefs’ data is clear: smart integration of AI equals faster growth, lower cost, more output, as long as humans guide the process.
Want to stay ahead? Focus on hybrid workflows, pairing human insight with AI speed. That’s where the magic happens.
Remember, AI won’t take your job. Someone who knows how to use AI will. Upskilling your team today, ensures success tomorrow. In-person and virtual training workshops are available. Or, schedule a session for a comprehensive AI Transformation strategic roadmap to ensure your marketing team utilizes the right AI tech stack for your needs. From custom prompt libraries to AISO, Human Driven AI is your partner in AI success.
Read more: AI-Powered Content: Boost Growth & Efficiency
Spring Cleaning Your AI: Resetting How You Work
AI isn’t getting harder; you’re just not structured for it. Here’s how to reset your workflow, organize your AI work, and stop starting over.
Human Driven AI Announces Katherine Morales as VP, Human + AI Operations & Governance
Katherine Morales, APR, is named VP, Human + AI Operations & Governance, a role focused on helping clients turning AI into scalable systems.
Redefining the Human Role in AI Systems
Human-led AI requires more than “human-in-the-loop.” Learn how clear accountability, ownership, and workflow design enable responsible AI leadership as autonomy increases.
