Employer Branders: Stop Sitting on the Fence with AI

Most employer brand and talent teams are still treating AI like a future project.

They’re piloting ChatGPT prompts, waiting for someone to “unlock” functionality in their existing tech stack, or assuming their agency partners will eventually bring AI-forward solutions to the table.

But the future isn’t pending. It’s already here.

AI isn’t an emerging trend anymore. It’s an operational advantage - and right now, the only thing delaying its impact in employer branding is hesitation.

“Prove why AI can’t do it.”

In a memo that’s still reverberating across industries, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke told employees that AI is now the default - and that any team requesting additional resources must first demonstrate why AI can’t solve the problem.

This isn’t an experiment. It’s a company-wide expectation. AI is now embedded into everything from code reviews and content development to product research and performance evaluations.

That’s not Phase 1 adoption. That’s Phase 4.

Understanding the Phases of AI Adoption in Employer Branding

Right now, most employer brand teams - and the consulting firms advising them - are stuck in Phase 1 or 2. That’s not enough.

 Phase 1: Efficiency Layer

Automating repeatable tasks like candidate matching, chatbot replies, or interview scheduling.

What most surveys focus on and what most EB firms still sell as “innovation.”

Phase 2: Content Acceleration

Using tools like ChatGPT or Jasper to help draft job ads, emails, or social posts.

Helpful for speed, but lacks integration, measurement, and voice consistency.

Phase 3: Workflow Rewiring

Replacing linear content production models with AI-assisted modular systems, repurposing, personalization, and testing.

This is where performance gains start to scale. 

Phase 4: Process & Product Reinvention

Rethinking how content, research, and strategy are designed from the ground up.
AI isn't a tool, it’s a core team member.

This is what Shopify is doing. It’s where every modern EB team needs to go.

(Adapted from Gartner’s AI maturity curve, applied to EB workflows.)

Why Most Employer Brand Firms Are Not Equipped to Get You There:

The truth? 

Most employer branding consulting firms aren’t just behind. They’re unequipped.

They’re still publishing surface-level stats on AI usage in ATS platforms and calling it insight. They haven’t overhauled their internal processes, upskilled their teams, or used AI to accelerate their methodologies and rethink employer brand as a business tool.

In our AI in Employer Branding Benchmark Study with The Martec AI Content Cloud, we found:

• 87% of employer brand leaders want to increase content volume
• 93% believe AI can help them do that
• But only 27% have moved beyond basic experimentation

So what’s holding them back?

Because most employer brand firms:

1. Don’t actually use AI in their own workflows - so they can’t model or teach meaningful adoption
2. Profit from manual, slow, expensive delivery models that AI would undercut
3. Don’t know what questions to ask - so they focus on outdated use cases like chatbots and gamified assessments

They’ve stopped at automation - when they should be exploring reinvention.

Other Leaders Making AI Mandatory

Shopify isn’t alone. A growing list of global employers are embedding AI into their cultural DNA:

• Amazon uses AI across fulfillment, candidate assessments, and internal forecasting.
• PwC invested $1B to upskill every U.S. employee in AI, making fluency an expectation.
• Unilever applies AI to content creation, DEI analysis, and workforce planning.
• Companies like Labatt, Grant Thornton, Adobe and others have worked with us to build AI-enabled employee advocacy programs that produce six months of content in 60 minutes - redefining what scalable employer brand content looks like.

These organizations are moving into Phase 3 and 4 - not just experimenting, but reimagining how their employer brand shows up and connects to the broader business agenda. 

So, What Should EB Leaders Do Right Now?

If you’re in employer brand, EVP, or talent marketing, here’s your immediate mandate:

1. Pressure-Test Your Partners

If your consultants can’t explain how they use AI in research, content, diagnostics, or activation - or aren’t helping you rethink the role of your employer brand - it’s time to rethink the partnership.

2. Build Your Content Infrastructure

Stop thinking in campaigns. Start thinking in scalable, modular systems. Use AI-enabled tools to build searchable EVP-aligned libraries, story frameworks, and evergreen content that converts.

3. Operationalize Your EVP

A great EVP isn’t a brand asset - it’s an operating model. AI helps you activate it across channels and employee moments, from onboarding to alumni. But first, pressure-test the promise against your actual employee experience.

4. Invest in Internal Capability

AI fluency is now core to high-performing teams. Train your team. Build prompts. Design pilots. Measure outcomes. Use it daily.

No one’s handing you a blueprint. You need to build it.

Final Thought

Employer branding teams are running out of time to stay “undecided” about AI.

We’re seeing our early adopter clients  jump years ahead of their competition - in days. The longer you wait, the harder they’ll be to catch.

This isn’t about following trends. It’s about leading your function into the future - equipped with the tools, workflows, and strategies that scale impact, not effort.

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