Indian marketers and creatives embrace Generative AI: Canva survey

A staggering 97% of marketing and creative leaders in India express comfort with the rise of generative AI, with 72% already regarding it as an essential tool in their creative arsenal, according to a survey by Canva, the all-in-one visual communication platform.
The comprehensive survey was conducted among more than 4,000 marketing and creative leaders worldwide.

This extensive research, commissioned by Canva and conducted by Morning Consult, spans across nine countries, including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. The aim of this survey was to gain a deeper understanding of how generative AI is reshaping the landscape of marketing and creative industries.

Key findings specific to India include:

1. Generative AI becomes essential: A staggering 97% of marketing and creative leaders in India express comfort with the rise of generative AI, with 72% already regarding it as an essential tool in their creative arsenal.

2. Unlocking creativity and productivity: The majority (84%) agree that AI-powered tools alleviate the burden of repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for more creative and meaningful work. Furthermore, 70% believe that generative AI tools enhance their team's creativity, with 72% reporting significant time savings, ranging from 2-3 hours per week to as much as 4-5 hours per week for 39% of teams. While only a minority (15%) feel that generative AI tools limit creativity, the most common objection (53%) is related to concerns about preventing the development of original ideas.

3. Fragmented AI ecosystem: An overwhelming 74% of respondents find the generative AI ecosystem to be fragmented and complex, with 75% experiencing a steep learning curve. While excitement abounds about elevating creativity, 62% feel pressured to use AI to keep pace with change, and 58% admit they do not fully understand how to extract the maximum value from this technology.

4. Transformation of content creation: With the ever-increasing demand for content, marketers and creatives are increasingly relying on AI for support. A significant majority have already used generative AI for various purposes: 88% for creating written content, 84% for generating unique images, and 83% for editing images and videos. Looking ahead five years, more than half (55%) believe that generative AI tools will surpass humans in creating visual images.

5. Data privacy concerns: The capability of generative AI tools to process data and generate sensitive information has raised concerns. Marketing and creative leaders ranked risks associated with customer data (77%), company data (76%), and personal data (74%) as their top concerns, outweighing fears of job loss, plagiarism, and bias. Over half (56%) indicate that their companies have implemented strict guidelines for the use of generative AI to address these risks.

Natalie Schwartz, Global Head of Brand Marketing at Canva, commented: "Tighter budgets, increased content demands, and relentless deadlines have driven marketers to embrace generative AI tools to scale their output. Our findings underscore the transformative impact of AI-powered tools on creativity and productivity for marketers, a profound impact we witness firsthand as a visual communication platform. In India, we are witnessing overwhelming acceptance of generative AI among marketing and creative leaders. Clearly, they are eager to witness how this technology will reshape the broader marketing ecosystem."

Methodology

Canva commissioned Morning Consult to survey 4,050 business leaders in marketing and creative roles. These individuals are decision-makers for purchasing software in their department or company. Specifically, Canva surveyed 505 business leaders in the United States, 500 in the United Kingdom, 513 in Spain, 503 in Germany, 497 in France, 524 in Brazil, 315 in Mexico, 377 in India, and 316 in Australia.