📣The Ultimate Guide to AI Marketing Tools in 2025
Plus: The VC Firms Most Exposed to AI - It seems like Cheating Pays Off in the AI World
Friday is here, fellow readers. Today, we share a practical guide to AI marketing, packed with insights you can apply to your work or ideas next week. We're also seeing a surprising trend that cheating apps are proving more profitable than educational AI tools and are attracting funding even without viable products. Meanwhile, Microsoft and OpenAI may be filing for divorce soon. Stay curious, and have a great weekend!
The VC Firms Most Exposed to AI
📰 News and Trends.
I don't use RAG, I just retrieve documents by Maven
🧰 AI Tools - Book Discovery
It seems like Cheating Pays Off in the AI World
🧠 Learning Corner - Semantic Scholar
Microsoft and OpenAI Disputes are just starting
📰 AI News and Trends
Google launches Doppl, a new app that lets you visualize how an outfit might look on you, announced ‘AI Ultra for Business’ subscription, and launched Offerwall to help publishers maintain monetization opportunities
ChatGPT is reportedly building a Google Workspace and Microsoft Office rival
Microsoft’s next internally developed AI chip is facing a delay, putting it further behind efforts to catch up to Nvidia’s latest chips.
An advanced code editor is coming to xAI's grok. It uses VS Code as the editor and lets you run your code inside Grok, talk to it to modify the code, or debug it.
Salesforce utilizes AI for up to 50% of its work, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs
🌐 Other Tech news
The Trump Phone May Not Be ‘Made in America’ anymore, nor Arrive This Year
Omead Afshar, a longtime Musk ally who led sales and manufacturing, has left Tesla, as the company struggles with declining EV sales and pressure to scale its robotaxi initiative.
Chinese Scientists Unveil Mosquito-Sized Surveillance Drone
Meta in Talks to Buy AI Voice Startup PlayAI in Push for Talent
The VC Firms Most Exposed to AI
Venture capitalists have poured $52.4B into AI startups since mid 2024, with SoftBank and Thrive Capital alone leading $20B, despite not even being in the top nine a year ago. The average AI deal now tops $372M, up from $96M two years ago.
Top 3 investors by deal size (last year):
SoftBank – $12B
Thrive – $8.9B
Lightspeed – $5.3B
Most active by number of deals since 2022:
Andreessen Horowitz – 48 deals
Sequoia – 35 deals
Lightspeed – 33 deals
Big bets include:
OpenAI: Raised $6.6B (Oct) + $10B (Apr) from Thrive & SoftBank
Anthropic: $3.5B from Lightspeed
Scale AI: Meta invested/bought it $14B for a 49% stake, Accel may gain $2–3B payout.
Safe Superintelligence: $2B led by Greenoaks
But not all returns are gold, some firms saw modest gains or quasi-acquisitions (e.g., Character.ai, Adept). Still, investor confidence is sky-high as enterprise and consumer demand surges. The AI race is barely getting started with major Data Centers, Robotics, and other infrastructure needed to grow and maintain LLMs, and perhaps even new devices that will be needed to be able to truly consume the output, this technology has a lot of room to grow and investors seem to be eager to throw even trillions at it. Some of these devices may serve our senses differently, from wearables to scary brain implants. Additionally, the evolution of agents is barely beginning, where machines will only communicate with other machines to accomplish their goals. This will bring a different communication form, traveling through different devices and formats, not needed for mortals to see or understand.
I don't use RAG, I just retrieve documents
They say RAG is dead. They're wrong.
Your vector search is failing because nobody taught you to evaluate it properly. While you debug cosine similarity, smart teams ship with tools you've never heard of.
30 minutes to fix what's broken. Real tactics. No theory.
It seems like Cheating Pays Off in the AI World
Andreessen Horowitz's $15M investment in Cluely signals a shift in AI startup strategy, prioritizing speed and controversy-driven marketing over traditional product development. Cluely gained attention by promoting itself as a tool to "cheat on everything," even without a functional product. a16z partner Bryan Kim believes that in the fast-moving AI landscape, rapid viral momentum, not perfection, is key to staying ahead, making Cluely’s controversial approach a potential new blueprint for consumer-facing AI startups.
🧠 Learning Corner.
Semantic Scholar - AI-powered academic search engine developed by the Allen Institute for AI
Access to over 200 million scholarly papers across disciplines
Uses AI to extract key findings, citations, and influential research
Includes tools like TLDRs, topic summaries, and author influence metrics
Ideal for students, graduate researchers, and academics looking to study cutting-edge topics efficiently.
Microsoft and OpenAI Disputes are just starting.
Microsoft no longer believes OpenAI can achieve AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), a foundational goal that once unified the two. Tensions are rising as OpenAI seeks to restructure into a for-profit company and renegotiate its contract with Microsoft, its largest backer.
Some of their issues are:
AGI Disagreement: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claims they’re close to AGI, defined as AI that “outperforms humans at most economically valuable work.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella disagrees, calling self-declared AGI “nonsensical benchmark hacking.”
Contract Clause: Their 2019 contract ends if OpenAI reaches AGI. Microsoft would lose exclusive access unless a new agreement is signed. Microsoft wants continued rights even post-AGI.
$92B Stakes: Declaring “sufficient AGI” could trigger Microsoft's loss of exclusivity, even if actual profits aren’t realized, jeopardizing Microsoft's $13B investment and future product access.
Competition and Cloud Conflict: OpenAI recently partnered with Oracle ($40B chip deal) and Google for compute, signaling a move away from Microsoft’s Azure.
Ownership Struggle: Microsoft may settle for a 35% stake. OpenAI wants to restructure but needs Microsoft’s approval, or risks losing up to $20B in funding.
Microsoft and OpenAI are locked in a high-stakes power struggle over the future of AGI, profit rights, and control over the most valuable AI technologies. The issues may continue to arise and OpenAI signed more contracts with other partners, gets more funding from different investors, and as they build apps that directly compete with Microsoft. We shall see how this divorce ends. Stay tuned.
🧰 AI Tools
Book Discovery
StoryGraph – Uses AI to recommend books based on mood, pace, and themes. Great for personalized reading paths.
Tertulia – AI-powered book discovery app that surfaces titles trending in podcasts, media, and expert circles.
Books Like This One – Uses AI and community reviews to suggest similar reads based on plot, tone, and writing style.
Heardly - Daily book summaries.
Download our list of 1000+ Tools for free.
The Ultimate Guide to AI Marketing Tools in 2025
What Is AI in Marketing Today
AI in marketing refers to the use of machine learning and data-driven algorithms to automate, optimize, and personalize marketing processes. From 2023 to 2025, AI has transformed marketing by powering predictive analytics, hyper-personalized content, and real-time customer interactions.
92% of businesses plan to invest in AI tools for marketing (Salesforce, 2024).
Key AI Capabilities in Marketing:
Automation: Replaces repetitive tasks like email scheduling and A/B testing.
Personalization: Dynamically adjusts content based on user behavior.
Prediction: Forecasts customer behavior and campaign outcomes.
Marketers who ignore AI risk falling behind in speed, efficiency, and relevance.
Key Benefits and Real-World Value
ROI Snapshot:
AI adoption has led to 30–50% time savings on campaign tasks.
Companies using AI saw a 20% lift in conversions (McKinsey, 2024).
Metric Before AI With AI Time to build a campaign 2–3 days 2–3 hours Email open rate 18% average 25%+ with AI Ad spend efficiency Moderate 30–40% improved
Benefits:
Lower costs via automation
Faster execution
Sharper targeting
Personalization at scale
Example: A mid-size eCommerce brand used Jasper to create product descriptions and email campaigns, reducing content production time by 70%.
AI doesn’t replace creativity—it amplifies human ideas and scales output.
Core Marketing Tasks Enhanced by AI
Content Creation and Copywriting
AI tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and ChatGPT generate:
Blog posts
Ad copy
Email sequences
Social captions
Best Practices:
Always review and edit AI output
Maintain consistent brand voice
Customize prompts for better results
Predictive Analytics and Insights
AI uses past data to predict:
Customer lifetime value
Campaign success
Seasonal trends
Capabilities:
Optimization: Recommends top-performing channels
Budgeting: Allocates spend efficiently
Trends: Detects patterns before competitors do
Customer Segmentation and Personalization
Tools like Salesforce Einstein and Adobe Sensei enable:
Micro-segmentation
Dynamic product recommendations
Personalized email flows
Outcomes:
+29% engagement
+18% conversion rates
+24% loyalty program participation
Conversational AI and Chatbots
Platforms like Drift and Intercom offer:
Intelligent chat support
Lead qualification
Product guidance
Best Practices:
Map clear chat flows
Set handoff rules to humans
Analyze chat logs for improvements
Top AI Tools for Marketers in 2025
1. Jasper
Use: Long-form and ad content generation
Features: Templates, brand voice memory, SEO tools
Tip: Create reusable workflows for team-wide content generation
2. ChatGPT
Use: Copywriting, brainstorming, code snippets
Features: Plugins, file upload, browsing
Tip: Use custom instructions to align with brand tone
3. Synthesia
Use: AI video creation
Features: Text-to-video, avatars, voice cloning
Tip: Great for product explainers and training content
4. Salesforce Einstein
Use: Predictive insights, lead scoring
Features: Built-in CRM intelligence
Tip: Best used within Salesforce ecosystem
5. Adobe Sensei
Use: Visual content intelligence, personalization
Features: Auto-tagging, asset optimization
Tip: Leverage for automated asset management
6. Drift
Use: Conversational marketing
Features: AI chatbots, sales acceleration
Tip: Ideal for B2B SaaS lead capture
7. Sprinklr
Use: Social listening and customer engagement
Features: Sentiment analysis, omnichannel insights
Tip: Strong for large enterprises with complex social ops
How To Use AI in Marketing Effectively
1. Identify Current Gaps
Where are we slow or inefficient?
What tasks are highly repetitive?
Which customer segments are underperforming?
2. Prepare Clean Data
Integrate CRM, site, and ad data
Remove duplicates and noise
Respect user privacy and consent
3. Select The Right Tool
Align with team size and technical skills
Test with pilot projects
Focus on high ROI use cases
4. Train Your Team
Offer training on tools and workflows
Address fear of AI with transparency
Promote cross-functional collaboration
5. Implement and Monitor
Set KPIs before launch
Monitor campaign impact
Iterate with new insights
Lesser-Known Challenges and Solutions
Challenge Impact Solution Tool integration issues Disconnected data Use middleware like Zapier Inconsistent content Brand dilution Build prompt libraries Over-automation Robotic CX Keep human QA in the loop Team adoption resistance Slower rollouts Offer training and incentives Ethical/data concerns Compliance risks Follow GDPR & consent models
Where To Go Next With AI Marketing
AI will only grow smarter and more embedded in marketing workflows. To stay ahead:
Start small, iterate fast
Track metrics that matter
Balance efficiency with human creativity
📬 Stay updated: Subscribe to Yaro on AI and Tech Trends for curated tools, trends, and strategies you can apply today.
FAQs
How much technical skill is needed?
Most tools are no-code or low-code with user-friendly UIs.
What’s the cost?
Ranges from free plans to $1,000+/mo for enterprise suites. Start small.
Can small businesses benefit?
Yes, many tools like Jasper, Drift, and ChatGPT are affordable and scalable.
How do I measure ROI?
Track time saved, CTR improvements, conversion rates, or cost reductions pre- and post-AI.
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