AI Gains Ground In Local Advertising, Opening Doors for Radio Sellers.

Artificial intelligence has gone from curiosity to commonplace among local businesses, but comfort levels still hinge on trust and verification. According to Borrell Associates’ latest small- and mid-sized business (SMB) survey, the share of local companies using AI for any business task has leapt from 46% in 2024 to 65% in 2025.

Corey Elliott, Executive VP of Local Market Intelligence at Borrell, said local advertisers’ use of AI now spans everything from productivity tools to customer analytics. In his latest “Local Marketing Minute” video, he said in 2025 they use it for an average of two to three different tasks. That includes how they are developing their marketing. That is up from one task in 2024.

When the focus narrows to marketing, AI’s impact is even more pronounced. “There’s one clear number one winner,” Elliott said, revealing 71% saying they use it for content creation. The next most common marketing uses were internal productivity (39%), followed by social media management (24%), market research (22%), and email marketing (22%). Smaller shares said they used AI for translation, transcription, search engine optimization, customer insights — each of which comes in under 20%.

Asked which tools they rely on, advertisers were again clear. ChatGPT was far and away No. 1, according to Elliott. He said Gemini ranked second, with Copilot, Claude, and Adobe also earning mentions.

The gains made by ChatGPT are noteworthy. Nearly three in four (73%) say they either use it regularly or have used it a few times, which is up from 51% a year ago. And the number that has heard of ChatGPT but not used it has declined from 42% last year to 23% this year.

Despite the rapid growth, many businesses still haven’t embraced AI — and not because of fear or ethics. Ironically, the top reason is lack of time.

“AI can save a lot of time, but you’ve got to learn how it can save you time. And so many local advertisers are so backed up, they can’t even get to understanding how something can help them with the time they’re trying to save,” Elliott said. “They don’t have the time to put into something that will help them save time.”

Accuracy Tops Concerns

Among those using AI, the biggest ongoing concern is accuracy. In Borrell’s SMB survey, it was cited by 55% in 2024 and 58% in 2025. The data shows many local businesses are worried AI might produce inaccurate information.

The most relevant finding for broadcasters and local media sellers is how advertisers feel about their vendors using AI. “When we asked how they feel about a vendor, freelancer, or agency using AI tools to complete marketing or advertising for their company,” Elliott said, “Nine percent said they’re opposed, 11% said they’re not comfortable, 45% said they’re generally okay with it, and one out of four said they are completely comfortable with it.” That means at least 70% of local advertisers are open to or comfortable with AI being used by their media or marketing partners, as long as it produces accurate work.

When Borrell asked what specifically what their concern was with outsourced partners using AI, two-thirds said they fear AI may introduce errors or inaccuracies. “Using AI is generally okay — just make sure it’s factual,” Elliott said.

Elliott suggested the growing acceptance offers a clear opening for local media companies already experimenting with AI-driven ad tools. “If they can double-check the accuracy of the information being produced — it’s a win-win,” he said.