Artificial intelligence is entering a new stage where it can read, listen, and see all at once. Multimodal AI, which integrates text, speech, images, and video into a single system, is redefining how brands understand and interact with customers. For marketers, this is a transformation from automation to augmentation, where technology interprets multiple signals together to create more human-like engagement.
According to Precedence Research, the global multimodal AI market is expected to grow from about 2.5 billion dollars in 2025 to more than 42 billion dollars by 2034, reflecting annual growth of nearly 37 percent. Systems that can interpret multiple signals produce context-aware insights. They can process an image of a product defect, a frustrated tone in a customer’s voice call, and the accompanying chat text in one continuous workflow.
India’s Growing AI Adoption
India is among the fastest-growing adopters of AI in marketing and customer experience. A Salesforce India report found that 79 percent of Indian marketers are already using AI tools, up from 68 percent two years earlier. Around 84 percent said AI now plays a role in customer interactions, and 96 percent believe generative AI will enhance engagement in the near future.
Nishant Kalra, Vice President at Salesforce India, said, “Data and AI hold the promise of helping marketers reach customers in new, more engaging ways, but building and retaining customer trust is a significant challenge.” His words point to a broader truth: the future of AI in marketing depends as much on trust as it does on innovation.
The Engagement Expectation Gap
Customer expectations have increased alongside AI use. A ServiceNow India survey found that 84 percent of Indian consumers rely on AI for product recommendations and 82 percent use it for food or travel suggestions. However, 82 percent also said AI tools have raised their expectations from brands. Sumeet Mathur, Managing Director of ServiceNow India, explained, “Companies face a clear choice: embrace AI-driven efficiency or risk losing customer loyalty.” Nearly nine in ten Indian consumers said they would switch brands if customer service was too slow.
Human Touch and Machine Precision
Marketers are combining data precision with emotional understanding. Sachin Sharma, Director of Marketing at LinkedIn India, said, “AI is reshaping how brands connect with buyers. Younger audiences want authenticity and relatability. To cut through the noise, brands are turning to video for deeper engagement. Ultimately, as AI scales content creation, brands that pair technology with human expertise will win attention and trust.”
This balance is already visible across industries. At Royal Sundaram General Insurance, predictive AI was integrated with a quick-commerce platform to anticipate when customers might need home appliances. The brand’s marketing team noted that this allowed customers to make contextually relevant purchases in real time. “It was not just about speed; it was about meeting intent so precisely that the transaction felt natural,” said its digital marketing lead.
From Data to Dialogue
CleverTap’s Vice President of Data Science, Jacob Joseph, explained that AI’s future lies in real-time data integration. “The future lies in combining structured and unstructured data—from transactions to CRM logs. Engagement should be driven in real time, not analyzed after the fact,” he said. By merging browsing behavior, chat transcripts, and even image or voice inputs, brands can build a unified view of their customers.
This integration allows a user to start a chat with a virtual agent, upload a photo of a product issue, and continue the conversation by phone without repeating details. The system retains context across all interactions, creating smoother and faster experiences.
Industry Examples
In e-commerce, AI visual search tools let shoppers upload photos to find matching products. Retailers are also experimenting with virtual try-ons powered by multimodal algorithms. In BFSI, chatbots now interpret both voice and text, helping customers with account or loan queries while detecting emotional cues to prioritize responses.
Healthcare platforms are using AI assistants that read medical documents and respond to voice questions, making teleconsultations more intuitive. In real estate, AI systems now analyze property images, location data, and buyer intent together to personalize listings.
Data-Driven Outcomes
Analysts estimate that by 2025, around 95 percent of customer interactions will involve some form of AI. The AI-enabled customer service market could reach 48 billion dollars by 2030. Deloitte research shows that businesses earn approximately 3.5 dollars for every dollar invested in AI-led engagement.
In India, enterprises are steadily increasing their AI budgets. Marketers are finding that faster understanding of intent leads directly to better retention and satisfaction. Systems that can read, listen, and interpret simultaneously are giving brands a measurable edge.
Risks and Responsibilities
The path to adoption is not without challenges. Integrating multimodal AI into older IT systems can be costly, and over-automation risks making experiences impersonal. A CMO Council survey in 2024 reported that 41 percent of Indian marketing leaders cited data privacy as their top concern. Many organizations are introducing internal AI governance frameworks to maintain transparency and ethical use of data.
There is also the creative challenge. As AI generates more marketing content, the risk of sameness increases. Experts agree that marketers must focus on curation, not just generation. Human teams are increasingly responsible for refining tone, ensuring emotional connection, and maintaining cultural relevance while AI handles scale and personalization.
Looking Ahead
The next stage of AI in marketing will emphasize emotional intelligence. Future customer journeys may start with a voice query, include an image upload, and end with a personalized video response—managed entirely by one AI system. This evolution will demand collaboration between marketing, data, and product teams.
As India’s multilingual, mobile-first audience expands, multimodal AI will help brands connect across regional languages and media formats. For marketers, the goal will not just be efficiency but empathy. The future of customer engagement will belong to brands that can make technology feel personal.
Multimodal AI is not replacing human insight; it is amplifying it. The most successful marketers will use it to listen better, respond faster, and build relationships that feel intelligent yet human.
Disclaimer: All data points and statistics are attributed to published research studies and verified market research. All quotes are either sourced directly or attributed to public statements.
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