2026 Canadian Marketers' AI Readiness Report

Oct 26, 2026

Completed in partnership with strategy and powered by Twenty44, the report benchmarks Canadian marketing professionals’ real-world AI readiness and proficiency across four dimensions: openness, knowledge and skills, application ability, and risk and ethics awareness.

The research reveals insights into the current state of AI adoption among Canadian marketers:

  • Moving from experimentation to application. Ability to Apply AI saw the largest gain, rising eight points to 52. More than half (51%) now use AI at work daily or more often, while basic use fell from 38% to 22% and advanced uses such as automation, complex analysis, and code rose from 19% to 29%.

  • Responsible adoption is accelerating. Risk and ethics awareness rose eight points to 48, alongside stronger governance and training. The share of marketers with a “very clear” AI policy increased from 26% to 35%, and those receiving no AI training fell from 38% to 24%, though one-third still use personal AI accounts for work.

  • Skills are improving, with clear room to accelerate. Knowledge and skills rose four points to 52, and marketers slightly outperform the average knowledge worker in prompting. Nearly three-quarters of marketers can state a clear goal when prompting AI. The next opportunity is to build greater proficiency in providing context, structuring prompts and using advanced techniques such as iteration and constraints.

The report outlines four priorities for maintaining the industry’s momentum:

  • Strengthen prompting skills;
  • Close remaining policy gaps;
  • Approach AI adoption as change management; and

  • Make training hands-on and specific.

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