MarTech Podcast Summary

Episode: The Biggest Risk of Marketers Trusting AI
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Dave Steer, CMO of Webflow
Date: October 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Benjamin Shapiro welcomes Dave Steer, Chief Marketing Officer at Webflow, to discuss the evolving relationship between marketers and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. They explore how marketers risk losing their edge by over-relying on AI, and they share strategies for leveraging AI as a true partner—not a crutch—to achieve exceptional results. Key insights center on maintaining human judgment, creativity, and strategy amid the AI boom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Real Risk: Abdicating Human Judgment to AI

• Main Idea: The greatest danger isn’t “trusting AI” per se, but rather marketers giving up the human elements of strategy, creativity, and critical thinking.
• Dave Steer:
  • Warns against “lazy marketing,” where marketers “stop thinking for themselves, stop applying their judgments and put something into ChatGPT or Claude and then just take the output and send the email out without actually thinking it through…” [01:41–02:23]
  • Emphasizes the necessity of the marketer’s role as "chief orchestrator" who ensures creative, strategic direction and brand building.
  • “If we abdicate our role to LLMs, we're just going to be sloppy.” [02:23]

2. The Hazards of Workflow Automation Without Understanding

• Host Reflection (Benjamin Shapiro):
  • Describes engaging in “vibe coding”—experimenting with AI-generated code and automation without fully understanding the details, which leads to lapses in critical thinking.
  • Admits feeling mentally “numb” after such sessions: “If you ask me my middle name, half the time I’m like, I can’t process a rational thought. And I do think that that happens to marketers…” [03:22–03:39]
  • Warns that relying solely on output from AI fosters a habit of accepting results without questioning or deeper engagement.

3. Power Use of AI: Treating AI as Your Chief of Staff

• Dave Steer:
  • Shares a transformative use case with a custom “CMO chief of staff GPT,” populated with company knowledge and decision-making frameworks.
  • Outlines its evolution: initially serving as an “onboarding buddy,” then becoming an active, challenging “chief of staff.”
  • “I use this at least once a day as my partner. And so that's the way to not be lazy...treat this thing, really, as a chief of staff who's sitting right by me and helping me make decisions.” [03:49–04:57]

4. Giving AI Effective Context and Authority

• Benjamin Shapiro:
  • Names his AI assistant “Jarvis” and instructs it to ask probing questions—creating an active, context-aware digital partner.
  • Equates the dynamic to Ironman’s assistant, highlighting the importance of ongoing interaction and challenge from the AI side [04:57].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave Steer [02:17]:
  “I think the biggest risk is, isn't overly trusting AI, it's forgetting the important role that the marketer serves as a human being and chief orchestrator of the creativity and brand building and growth that they're putting out in the market."
• Benjamin Shapiro [03:35]:
  “Then they stop thinking and just want the outputs. It’s like mind numbing. Yeah.”
• Dave Steer [04:44]:
  “…that’s the way to not be lazy. Right? That’s the way to treat this thing, really as a chief of staff who’s sitting right by me and helping me make decisions."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:41 – 02:23: Dave Steer discusses the risk of lazy marketing and abdication of critical human input to AI.
• 03:22 – 03:49: Benjamin Shapiro talks about “vibe coding” and losing critical thinking while interacting with LLMs.
• 03:49 – 04:57: Dave Steer shares the “chief of staff” AI use case and explains the right way to partner with AI.
• 04:57: Benjamin Shapiro describes naming his assistant “Jarvis” and giving it context for better engagement.

Episode Takeaways

• Blind trust in AI and a hands-off approach leads to generic, less effective marketing.
• Marketers must continue to apply strategic thinking, leveraging AI as a thought partner instead of a replacement.
• Human creativity, judgment, and intuition are irreplaceable—AI should amplify, not replace, these strengths.
• Customizing AI to act as an active “chief of staff” or assistant can unlock far greater value than rote output generation.

This episode will resonate with marketers seeking to find the balance between harnessing the power of AI and nurturing the very human qualities that drive standout marketing performance.