AI-powered martech news and releases: October 24

More than three-quarters of U.S. workers say they don’t know how to use their new AI tools, according to a report from Slingshot. 

The survey found only 23% of employees feel completely educated and trained on AI. And while 72% of employers say their employees are at least adequately trained on AI, only 53% of employees believe they are. There’s also a significant difference between genders with AI training: 66% of males feel adequately trained on AI, but only 44% of females say the same.

There’s also a big disconnect between the intended and actual uses of AI. More than half (62%) of employers implemented AI to support employees’ initial research for tasks and projects, help employees manage their workflow (58%) and analyze data (55%). However, 63% of employees primarily use AI to double-check their work.

Other findings:

• Employers believe AI is driving more productivity than employees are experiencing: 60% of employers believe AI is significantly increasing employees’ productivity, but only 44% of employees say the same. Ten percent of employees say AI is not increasing productivity at all.
• 79% of employees say AI saves them at least one to two hours a day, with 37% saving three to four hours. That time is being used to complete tasks sooner (63%) and to re-prioritize and manage their workload more efficiently (54%).

The report can be viewed here.

Here are this week’s AI-powered martech news and releases.

• aytm introduced Skipper, an AI assistant that helps researchers create surveys, translate them, and analyze data to uncover valuable insights. Skipper can draft surveys, suggest questions and answers, and optimize layouts for mobile devices. It also uses AI to analyze data and identify key trends.
• writerX.ai launched AI Content Workflow Platform. This platform lets users manage multiple content projects, create web pages and blog posts, and generate large amounts of content. It also includes built-in SEO tools, scheduling features, and a calendar view for published content. Additionally, the platform offers customizable brand voices and image tools, as well as marketing automation capabilities.
• Acquia announced AI-powered enhancements to its digital asset management solution Acquia DAM. These features include Acquia Video Creator, a drag-and-drop tool for creating professional videos using existing assets, templates, and stock media. Additionally, AI Video Transcription automatically generates transcripts that are stored with the video.
• Kipi.ai brings its Marketing Mix Modeling and Analytics App to the Snowflake AI Data Cloud. This app helps marketers estimate budgets, analyze the performance of different media channels, and optimize marketing strategies.
• InMoment unveiled AI-powered Active Listening Agents. This new feature uses AI to prompt users with follow-up questions based on their responses, encouraging them to provide more detailed feedback.
• Panopto acquired Elai, an AI text-to-video platform. Elai lets users quickly create engaging video content for learning purposes. It includes interactive playback, easy-to-use creator tools, and customizable avatars with voice cloning options.
• Sociable AI made its Discovery tool free for public use.It lets users discover trending social media posts across various industries, helping marketers stay updated on industry trends. While the free version provides basic functionality, paid users have access to advanced features like keyword searches and AI-generated engagement.
• Allison Worldwide launched AIM, a tool that uses AI to monitor social media conversations and identify emerging trends relevant to businesses. AIM provides actionable insights to help organizations respond to potential issues and opportunities.
• Canva unveiled Dream Lab, a suite of AI-powered tools that allow users to generate images and designs. These tools can create various image styles, including 3D renders and illustrations, and can use existing images as style references.
• NICE launched the next generation of CXone Mpower. This platform offers advanced services for customer service automation, including workflow integration, AI-human agent collaboration, and knowledge consolidation.
• Grammarly introduced new features to measure the impact of communication on business performance. The Effective Communication Score tracks metrics like correctness, efficiency, and inclusivity, while the ROI Report demonstrates the financial benefits of effective communication.
• Wondershare released Wondershare Virbo 3.0, an AI-powered video creation platform. This update includes features like AI montage maker, URL-to-video conversion, and AI clip maker, letting users create various types of videos.
• Airship expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to integrate Vertex AI into Airship Journeys AI. This integration aims to help marketers create more personalized and effective customer experiences across various digital channels.
• Illuma partnered with PubMatic to offer advanced contextual recommendation capabilities to advertisers. This partnership aims to help advertisers reach new audiences and improve campaign performance during the holiday season. 
• Goldcast launched a new AI-powered search feature called Goldcast AI Search. It lets marketers search their video library for specific topics and instantly repurpose the found content into new videos.
• RAD Intel introduced a new state-by-state functionality to its AI-powered audience insights platform. This feature provides brands and agencies with more detailed data on influencers, enabling more targeted marketing campaigns.
• Thryv launched an AI-powered social media management tool within its Marketing Center. It lets small businesses manage multiple social media profiles, generate AI-written content, and schedule posts. Additionally, it provides access to a library of pre-designed content and integrates with Google News and Pexels for additional content resources.