What everyone gets wrong about using AI in email marketing

When ChatGPT stormed into our lives almost 3 years ago, its big promise was that it’ll “10x our productivity” and “save us time”...

But throughout 2025, when I’ve been talking to marketing teams about how they’ve been using AI for their newsletters and emails, all I’ve been hearing was frustration.

Between chasing endless topic ideas, tweaking automations that never seem quite right, and obsessing over the “perfect” subject line, marketers spend hours on using AI on aspects that don’t move the needle.

AI can absolutely make your email marketing better. 

But unless you have a clear plan for how you use it and what purpose it serves, it can quickly lead to analysis paralysis.

The whole thing is to know where it fits your strategy, not let it become the strategy.

That’s where having a simple, human-centred email roadmap helps. 

Let’s be clear - it’s not just about your newsletters’ content. AI-generated emails are already here, and unfortunately, it’s only going to be worse.

And because of the AI slop is already all over our inboxes, one prediction says that in the next  12-18 months, it’ll also change how your subscribers interact with emails.

We’re already seeing hints of it. 

Subscribers skimming, inboxes summarizing, and engagement’s dipping. 

The days of cookie-cutter, zero-emotional-connection newsletters are numbered.

But for ethical, human-centered businesses using AI for good, the future looks bright. 

Thoughtful, relevant emails will always cut through the noise.

Because when everything starts sounding and feeling the same, the one thing that stands out… is you.

So how do you make sure your emails still matter in an AI-driven inbox?

How do you future-proof your strategy so you stay visible and valuable?

This is one of the main topics we discuss about in my monthly virtual email roundtables.  If you want to join future roundtables, get deeper insights, and learn how to use AI in a smarter, values-aligned way, make sure you’re on my email list. That’s where I share upcoming events, resources, and the occasional pasta-fuelled thought or two. 

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