Open Research: Collaborative Marketing Framework

Chris McLellan
2 hours ago
4 min read

The Ask AI nonprofit is coordinating a research project to redesign and retool the marketing function in the context of generative and agentic artificial intelligence.

Quick Summary

The Ask AI nonprofit has launched the Collaborative Marketing Framework, an open research project exploring how humans and artificial intelligence can work together within a reimagined marketing function.

The framework introduces a circular, insight-driven system that, in its current iteration, organizes AI-enabled marketing around five modules:

Knowledge
Intelligence
Planning
Production
Orchestration

In this design, AI is not an add-on, it is infused throughout the process.

The project is completely free and open. Participants are invited to follow the research by email or social media, comment on Build Notes, and join live webinars and demos.

Join the journey to help define the future of marketing in the age of AI.

An Invitation to Rethink Marketing in the Age of AI

Greetings, human!

Since the launch of ChatGPT, there’s been a gold rush mentality among marketing teams around artificial intelligence. Some of the pressure comes from the top, but most has been self-imposed as people try to get ahead of not just “the next big thing,” but perhaps "the entire thing".

So far, most activity has been ad hoc and experimental. But that approach can only take teams so far and risks deepening the complexity that already existed in marketing long before Sam Altman arrived on the scene. It can also start marketers down a path of siloed AI, rather than adopting a unified approach where human and artificial intelligence are infused throughout.

It’s time to pull back, take a breath, and rethink what kind of marketing function we want to create.

In my view, it’s a mistake to view Generative AI and Agentic AI as just another set of tools to adopt. These are complex systems with powers of inference and reasoning unlike anything that has come before.

They are collaborators — even doers — capable of assisting with creative, analytical, and operational work in entirely new ways. But that does not mean they can or should run marketing autonomously. Far from it.

To put it another way:

If marketers do not define their own future, it will be defined for them by legacy vendors, and others biased toward 100% automation. This is not only a bad idea for brands and content, it's a probably a bad idea for the AI models themselves. Marketers must not settle for being “in the loop.” They belong at the helm, steering the ship.

This open research project begins with a simple premise:

Collaboration between people and AI in business is not only inevitable, but desirable.

Where it leads next is what this research aims to uncover. I invite you to join the journey and help define the future of the marketing profession.

Sincerely

Chris McLellan, Volunteer Project Coordinator

Collaborative Marketing Framework Design V.1.0

The open research has been kickstarted with a draft system design, a simple architecture to provide a point of reference as we dive deeper into the individual modules.

Each represents a stage of the system, from Knowledge, Intelligence, Planning, Production, and Orchestration, forming an open, composable model that can adapt to different marketing strategies and tech stacks.

Open research project by Ask AI exploring the Collaborative Marketing Framework — a redesign of the marketing function for the age of artificial intelligence — Collaborative Marketing Framework V1.0. Click to expland

Inclusive Marketing Framework

The goal is to deliver a design and assets that are flexible enough to accomodate multiple marketing approaches, but still offere concrete, practical value for teams looking to implement the Collaborative Marketing Framework.

Specifically, the design should be able to accomodate the following marketing disciplines:

Foundational Marketing
Product Marketing
Brand Marketing
Performance Marketing
Inbound Marketing

Key Research Questions

All research projects start with a set of questions:

How should teams transition to this design?
How will the system support increased productivity, personalization, and creativity?
Can existing martech tools co-exist within this framework?
What is the right balance between build vs. buy?
What new martech catagories will be required?
What legacy martech categories will be redundant?
What new job roles will the framework create?
What existing job roles will the framework eliminate?

Project Resources

This project currently includes the following (links coming soon):

AI Research Assistant (via NotebookLM)
System Diagrams (hosted in Canva with public link)
Module Descriptions (blog posts like this one)
Build Notes (Google Doc capturing tips and best practices)
Recorded Tech Demos (to understand what's possible)
Job Descriptions (Google Doc to support training and transition)

How To Get Involved

Marketers who are interested in becoming an attributed contributor can email info@askai.org, adding 'Research contributor' in the subject line.
Indivduals who would like to receive updates plus invites to tech demos and bi-monthly webinars can join the Ask AI newsletter and follow Ask AI on LinkedIn
Organizations looking to sponsor or support the research can email info@askai.org and add 'Research partner' in the subject line.
Peeople who would like to engage with this work through conversation can access our AI Research Assistant [coming soon via NotebookLM]

Towards The Collaborative Business

Those with a keen eye will note that this framework could be extended to other business functions such as finance, sales, and customer success, however, all journeys must begin with a first step, and marketing is where this one begins.

If you're interested in leading research into applying this framework to a different operational function, email info@askai.org with 'Extending research' in the subject line.

About Ask AI

Since 2017, Ask AI has been helping people spot the opportunities and navigate the challenges associated with the increased adoption of artificial intelligence at work. Our volunteers produce a podcast, demos, newsletter, open research, and free resources.

As an independent nonprofit, we provide a trusted, balanced perspective on this transformative technology that is reshaping the future of work and redefining professions and industries worldwide.