Human–AI Collaboration in Digital Marketing: Evidence from an Emerging Economy, Somalia

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping digital marketing through automation, customer analytics, personalization, and data-driven decision-making. However, empirical evidence on human–AI collaboration in emerging and fragile economies remains limited.

This study examined the adoption of human–AI collaboration in digital marketing among businesses in Somalia, identified key barriers to AI adoption, and assessed the association between human–AI collaboration and customer engagement, marketing efficiency, and business growth. The study used a positivist research approach and a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 86 business owners, marketing managers, digital marketing specialists, and ICT/technology officers using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank correlation, and multiple linear regression.

Respondents reported frequent use of AI-assisted content creation, customer analytics, marketing automation, social media management, and AI-supported decision-making. The principal barriers were limited technical skills, limited infrastructure, implementation costs, data privacy concerns, and organizational resistance to change. Spearman's correlations indicated positive associations between human–AI collaboration and customer engagement (ρ = .684), marketing efficiency (ρ =.725), and business growth (ρ = .658), all reported at p < .001. Regression models explained 50.7% of the variance in customer engagement, 54.9% in marketing efficiency, and 46.4% in business growth. Human–AI collaboration was positively associated with each outcome after controlling for organizational size and industry sector. Because the study is cross-sectional and based on a purposive sample, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. The results highlight the importance of combining AI capabilities with human judgment, creativity, contextual knowledge, and responsible data practices in Somalia's digital marketing environment.