Redefining marketing competencies in the age of ai chatbots: a framework for strategic human–ai integration.

This study aims to explore the emerging skills gap among marketing professionals in the context of AI-based chatbot technologies and develop a comprehensive competency framework that supports effective customer interactions using chatbots. The research addresses a significant gap in current marketing practices: the growing need for professional skills to strategically manage and integrate chatbot systems. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study employs a qualitative, exploratory approach based on semi-structured interviews with 21 marketing professionals from various sectors, including retail, finance, technology, and education. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure that they represented the management and operational levels of digital marketing. Data were analysed using NVivo software, following (Miraz, Annamalah, & Sham, 2025; Miraz, Sham, & Annamalah, 2025) a six-step thematic analysis approach, to identify recurring patterns and conceptual relationships. Results: This research suggests that chatbot marketing skills shortages are multidimensional, extending beyond technical knowledge to include creative, ethical, analytical, and adaptive learning capabilities. The findings indicate that marketers frequently lack the integrated skills necessary to effectively design, implement, and evaluate chatbot-based campaigns. The study proposes two new theoretical contributions: Chatbot Marketing Competency Theory (CMCT), which explains how the integration of balanced skills improves chatbot marketing performance, and Human Skills-AI Integration Theory (HASIT). Originality/Value: This research makes a unique contribution to addressing the underexplored problem of a lack of skills in chatbot marketing, a rapidly emerging yet understudied area of digital marketing and AI management. The chatbot marketer model provides a new framework for understanding partitional and academic.