Artificial intelligence is no longer a promise for social media professionals, it is already an integral part of their daily lives. This is what the report reveals The State of AI in Social Media 2025 Posted by Metricool, which draws up a detailed inventory of current uses on social platforms.
The study is based on a wide range of freelancers, agencies, social media managers, community managers, content creators and marketing teams, in order to understand how the AA concretely transforms their practices. It highlights an almost generalized adoption, clear profits in terms of productivity, but also persistent worries around the quality and authenticity of the content generated.
AI is essential in the daily lives of social media pros
The adoption of artificial intelligence is now almost generalized in the social media professions. According to the Metricool study, 96 % of the professionals interviewed say they use AI in their activity, and almost three -quarters of them use it on a daily basis (72 %). This appropriation affects all the profiles studied. The agencies display the highest use rate (78 %use it every day), closely followed by freelancers (75 %), entrepreneurs (69 %) and marketing teams (69 %).
Professionals are not limited to a single AI tool. Indeed, if one third uses only one, another third uses two, while a last third juggle with three or more solutions. This diversity illustrates an already very fragmented market, where everyone composes their work environment according to their needs and skills.
The most used AI tools by professionals
If the adoption is massive, it is mainly based on a small number of tools that have become essential. Chatgpt largely dominates the landscape, used as a versatile assistant for the generation of texts, ideas and now images. In terms of design, Canva and Adobe Express stand out as the most popular platforms to create visuals enriched by AI.
Then come specialized assistants such as Gemini (Google), Claude (Anthropic) or Perplexity, employees for research and content production, while Midjourney, Runway, Capcut or Elevenlabs are distinguished for the creation of images, videos and audio. The landscape remains very fragmented, however: between versatile general practitioners and niche solutions, professionals combine several tools to cover all of their needs.
The top 10 of the tools most used by the social media pros:
- ChatGPT
- Canva
- Gemini
- Perplexity
- Copilot
- Notion
- Meta ai
- DeepSeek
- Freepik
- Claude
Find the complete classification of tools in image of one.
Uses focused on creation and productivity
The study reveals that AI is above all mobilized to save time and streamline content. The most common task is the generation of postal ideas, cited by 78 % of respondents. Then come the writing of texts, legends or copy (72 %) and the adaptation of content to different channels or tones (68 %).
Behind this head trio, other uses are developing gradually:
- Implementing a strategy (39 %)
- Graphic design and image editing (38 %),
- The search for subjects and trends (36 %),
- The translation or location of content (33 %),
- Performance analysis (32 %).
Certain functions remain marginal, such as the automation of repetitive tasks (20 %) or the response to comments and messages (17 %), a sign that AI is not yet fully adopted in the sector on the relational part. In summary, professionals first use AI as a creative teammate, capable of accelerating production and expanding the field of ideas, before entrusting him with more analytical or interactive missions.
More content, faster … but for what quality?
One of the main observations of the study is AI’s ability to accelerate the rate of production. Nearly 8 in 10 professionals (79 %) believe that it allows them to create more content in less time. This efficiency translates concretely, with 66 % of respondents who declare that they produce at least half of their publications with the help of AI.
The question of quality, on the other hand, divides. Six in ten respondents judge that the content generated by IA equal, even surpasses, those created manually. But almost 36 % do not follow the performance of their IA content, which limits the possibility of objectively assessing their impact. Time saving therefore seems undeniable, but the lack of systematic monitoring nourishes uncertainty: if AI allows you to publish more, it remains to be seen whether it allows you to publish better.
Quality, ethics and skills as the main brakes
If AI is essential in daily practices, it also arouses strong reservations. 45 % of the professionals questioned express concerns about the quality of the content generated. Fear of standardization and loss of authenticity remains a major obstacle.
Other obstacles limit adoption, in particular:
- Lack of time to train (36 %),
- Legal and ethical concerns (30 %),
- The difficulty in identifying the right tools (30 %),
- Preference for manual work (19 %).
Despite these reservations, only 5 % of respondents believe that they do not benefit from AI in their activities. These figures demonstrate a certain tension around an AI which seduces by its promise of productivity, but whose real value still depends on the capacity of professionals to master it and integrate it in a responsible manner.
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Knowing how to pilot AI, the new key skill?
Beyond generalized use, the study highlights a substantive issue. Indeed, AI becomes an essential tool, but its value depends on the way it is controlled. 73 % of respondents claim that AI has enabled them to experiment with new formats or strategies, proof that its role is not limited to productivity, but extends to creative innovation.
The testimonies collected by Metricool, however, recall the need to keep hands. An agency explains this: “We are the pilots of the tool, not the opposite. Producing faster is not enough, you have to retreat on the relevance and originality of the content. »» This highlights an emerging competence for the social media professions, which is to know how to formulate the right briefs and prompts, to control the editorial line and to analyze the results. In other words, the added value of professionals is increasingly in their ability to orient AI, contextualize its productions and preserve the authenticity of communication.
