“The most surprising AI trend of 2025 that marketers can’t afford to ignore and the hidden opportunities it reveals.”
AI Usage Flipped Upside Down, From Tech to Emotional Support
A groundbreaking study published in the Harvard Business Review in April 2025 is sending shockwaves through the AI industry. After analyzing the top 100 use cases for generative AI, researchers discovered that AI has evolved beyond a mere technical tool into an “emotional companion” for millions.
The top three most popular AI applications are
- Therapy and companionship
- Life organization
- Finding purpose
Meanwhile, marketing applications are languishing at the bottom of the rankings
- Advertising/marketing copy (#64)
- Blog post writing (#97)
- Social media content creation (#98)
“Our findings highlight a dramatic shift from technically-focused, productivity-centered use cases toward applications centered around personal wellbeing, life organization, and existential exploration.”
Why Are People Using AI for Therapy Instead of Marketing?
Three key factors are driving this trend reversal
1. The Power of Emotional Connection
In the post-COVID era, mental health awareness has skyrocketed.
AI chatbots offer 24/7 accessible “conversation partners” that listen without judgment, express empathy, and meet users’ emotional needs in ways traditional digital tools never could.
2. Hyper-Personalized Experiences
Today’s generative AI models learn users’ conversation patterns, interests, and emotional states to deliver tailored advice and support.
This creates a compelling alternative for those seeking personalized experiences without the cost of a human counselor.
3. Prompt Engineering Goes Mainstream
Users have become much savvier about interacting with AI.
As effective prompting techniques spread, people have discovered how to elicit deeper, more meaningful conversations from their AI assistants.
The Golden Opportunity for Marketers, The Age of Emotional Marketing
These findings suggest marketers need to rethink their AI strategies. Here’s what we can learn from the top-ranking applications
1. Empathetic Brand Communication
Use AI to create content that empathizes with and responds to customers’ emotional needs.
Rather than simply promoting products, focus on understanding customer problems and offering genuine solutions.
Cosmetics brand L uses an AI chatbot that listens to users’ skin concerns and recommends personalized skincare routines.
Throughout this process, the bot uses empathetic language that acknowledges and validates users’ anxieties.
2. Life Organization with Brand Integration
If people prefer using AI to organize their lives, find natural ways for your brand to become part of that process.
Furniture brand I launched an AI-powered “Home Organizer” tool that helps users optimize their living spaces.
The tool analyzes current furniture arrangements and suggests improvements, including relevant products from I’s catalog.
3. Focus on Idea Generation
Pay attention to “idea generation” (#6) the highest-ranking marketing-adjacent application.
Using AI as a tool for creative ideation rather than finished content production might be more effective.
Digital agency A inputs client briefs into AI to generate 10 campaign concepts, which their creative team then develops further.
This approach has reduced brainstorming time by 75% while increasing idea diversity by 200%.
Five Actionable Strategies for Marketers
- Develop Emotion Mapping Tools
- Use AI to analyze consumer emotional states and deliver appropriate messaging accordingly.
- Build a Prompt Library
- Create and continuously update a collection of effective marketing prompts that deliver consistent results.
- Explore Personal-Professional Connections
- Find touchpoints that connect users’ personal lives with your brand experience.
- Establish AI Ethics Guidelines
- Create principles for AI usage that prioritize user data protection and transparency.
- Foster a Culture of Experimentation
- Build a team culture that tests various AI applications and measures outcomes systematically.
Looking Ahead, The Co-Evolution of Humans and AI
As Zao-Sanders noted, both AI and how we use it will continue to evolve. As technology advances, human usage patterns will shift, creating new opportunities in marketing.
The most important shift is viewing AI not just as a tool but as a “collaborator.” When marketers create creative and empathetic content alongside AI, true innovation happens.
Conclusion
The fact that generative AI hasn’t yet become mainstream in marketing paradoxically represents an enormous opportunity.
While competitors haven’t fully explored this territory, forward-thinking marketers can draw inspiration from AI’s emotional and personal applications to build differentiated strategies.
Now is the perfect time to apply generative AI’s true potential to marketing.
Beyond technical efficiency, approaches that leverage AI’s ability to empathize with human emotions and needs will open new marketing paradigms.