SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Reading Room found that only 27% of UK marketing leaders always review AI-generated outputs before using them. The survey also found that 12% rarely or almost never review them.

The figures come from a survey of 75 senior marketing leaders at UK organisations with revenue above £30 million, conducted as part of wider research into AI use among medium-to-large businesses.

Most respondents fall between those two groups, suggesting checks on AI-generated material are often applied inconsistently rather than built into workflow. For marketing teams, that matters because much of their work appears in customer-facing channels, where errors can quickly become public.

The research also pointed to a broader gap between AI adoption and results. A third of marketers said AI’s impact had been lower or significantly lower than expected, while only 4% said all of their AI programmes had moved beyond the pilot stage.

Governance gap

Security and compliance concerns were cited as the biggest barrier to AI programmes delivering greater value. Yet the survey suggests those concerns are not always matched by systematic review of outputs before publication or use.

The tension comes as businesses face growing scrutiny over inaccurate or misleading material produced with generative AI. Public examples have already emerged in the UK, including withdrawn reports containing fabricated or inaccurate information.

Reading Room argued that pressure on marketing teams to produce more content with fewer resources may be contributing to the inconsistency. Teams are being pushed for scale and speed while also being expected to manage risks around accuracy, bias and compliance.

Amanda Falshaw, AI Enablement Lead at Reading Room, framed the issue in brand terms.

“Marketing is usually the shop window to an organisation – often where outputs are more likely to be seen by the public, customers, stakeholders and journalists. This means the reviewing gap becomes less of an internal process problem and more of a brand and reputational issue. As a minimum, we should all be asking of AI outputs: what’s missing? What assumptions have been made? How would we verify this? Would I be comfortable putting my name to this?” Falshaw said.

Content risks

The findings add to a wider debate over how companies govern the use of generative AI in functions that publish large volumes of external material. Marketing has become one of the earliest and most visible corporate use cases for AI tools, spanning copywriting, campaign development, search content and personalisation.

That visibility also leaves the function particularly exposed when mistakes slip through. Inaccuracies, invented claims, and repetitive or generic language can weaken trust in brand communications, especially when AI output is published with limited human checking.

Falshaw said the issue extends beyond factual mistakes to the quality and distinctiveness of brand communications.

“From a marketing perspective specifically, much of today’s content is suffering from pattern saturation and when nobody with the right expertise is stopping to critically review the output, this sameness starts to creep into how brands communicate. This then undermines distinctiveness during a time when having a recognisable human voice is becoming a critical marker of brand trust,” she said.

Scaling problem

The survey was part of a broader study of 150 digital transformation leaders, split evenly between senior digital and marketing roles. The low proportion of respondents who said every AI programme had scaled beyond the pilot stage suggests many organisations are still struggling to move from experimentation to routine use.

That may help explain the mismatch between interest in AI and reported outcomes. If governance processes are weak or uneven, companies may be less willing to expand deployment into higher-risk or more visible areas. Equally, if teams are adopting tools faster than review practices can be formalised, pilot projects may remain stuck before wider rollout.

For marketing leaders, the data points to a basic operational problem rather than a lack of awareness. Respondents identified security and compliance as major concerns, yet only a minority said they always reviewed outputs. That gap suggests some organisations have yet to embed consistent human oversight into day-to-day use.

Reading Room said marketers should build a routine habit of scrutiny around AI output, checking for errors, bias and compliance issues before material is used externally. The survey found that just 4% of marketing leaders said all of their AI programmes had successfully scaled beyond the pilot stage.

OWA, an Oxford-based digital product company with more than 30 years of experience, announced its new AI integration offering on Tuesday, July 14.

The service is aimed at helping businesses and charities adopt AI technologies in a way that adds value while maintaining essential human oversight.

Mark Hall, founder of OWA, said: “Artificial intelligence is one of the most significant technological developments we’ve seen, but it’s not the first transformative technology we’ve helped organisations adopt.

“Since 1995 we’ve guided clients through several waves of groundbreaking digital change, and the lesson is always the same: success comes from understanding the people, the use case, and the desired outcome before selecting the technology.”

Having previously delivered AI solutions for clients behind the scenes, OWA is now formally expanding its service publicly.

The company emphasises a ‘human-first’ approach, ensuring AI works alongside people and processes rather than replacing them outright.

The new service covers workflow automation, agentic AI systems, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) models that create bespoke assistants trained on an organisation’s own data.

OWA supports clients throughout the process, including data preparation, technical implementation, security, and long-term governance.

The company’s information security protocols are backed by ISO 27001 certification – a globally recognised standard for information security management systems.

Mr Hall said: “There’s a lot of excitement around AI, and rightly so because the possibilities are enormous.

“But organisations don’t need more hype to dive headfirst into AI – they need trusted partners who can help them identify where it can genuinely add value and make life easier while ensuring appropriate security, governance and human oversight. That’s the role we see ourselves playing.”

Recent client projects include an AI agent designed for a regulatory service in consumer protection, providing an interactive knowledge base for members.

OWA has also built AI-powered workflow tools for a portraiture client that improved operational efficiency.

The company, founded in Oxford in 1995, has worked with long-term clients for more than 20 years and sees its latest service as a continuation of its relationship-based approach.

Mr Hall said: “Technology changes, but the fundamentals of delivering successful digital projects do not.

“The tools we use have evolved but the need for trust, expertise, and a clear understanding of user needs has always remained constant.

“We bring the same rigour to AI that we’ve brought to every technology we’ve worked with over the last 30 years.”

More information about OWA’s AI integration service is available at www.owadigital.co.uk/services/AI-integration.

The placement at Fairstone, one of the UK’s largest wealth management groups, is part of a growing partnership between the wealth management group and the school.

Students Austen Williams, who is studying finance and financial technology, and Matteo Antonetti, who is studying finance, are taking part in the internship.

Both have been working at Fairstone’s City of London office, where they have been involved in a range of activities, including client annual reviews, liaising with providers, and drafting letters of authority.

Matteo Antonetti, 24, from Bologna, Italy, said: “I’m really enjoying the experience so far.

“There is a lot to take in, from how the industry works to the dynamics of the office, but people here have been really good, very welcoming and have a lot of time for us.”

Austen Williams, 21, from Kent, said: “Where the office is really makes you feel in the middle of everything.

“Everyone has been very helpful – they’re very approachable which makes it easy to ask people questions and find out more about the business and the industry.”

After completing their placement, the students will write reports on their experience, including research into Fairstone and the wealth management sector.

These reports will contribute towards their final degrees.

Blayne Cooper, head of employer engagement at Henley Business School, said: “This is a great opportunity for both the students and for Fairstone as a business.

“The internship gives students invaluable real-world experience – while theory is important and Henley Business School has a lot of cutting edge thinking, this give students the chance to put that theory into practice.”

Rob McDonnell, performance director for Fairstone’s South region, said: “This is the first time we have had interns from Henley Business School and it’s been a hugely positive experience.

“As a business, we are always keen to help engage and encourage the next generation of wealth management professionals and to share our knowledge and experience with them.”

Fairstone partners with a number of universities, colleges, and schools across the country including Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland Universities.

Kevin Waters, head of learning, talent and development at Fairstone, said: “These partnerships provide access to high-potential students and early-career professionals, offering meaningful experiences, learning opportunities, and career pathways that align with organisational objectives.

“Ultimately, partnering with educational institutions is not only about recruitment.

“It is about shaping the future workforce.”