As AI continues to redefine the boundaries of marketing, the conversation is shifting from insight generation to intelligent action. Ana Beotas, MarTech Advisor at SAS, stands at the forefront of this evolution, helping organisations design AI-powered ecosystems that are not only efficient but also purposeful and ethically grounded. With a background that blends humanities, creativity, and advanced analytics, Ana brings a distinctive perspective to the role of AI in modern marketing. At The MarTech Summit Madrid 2026, she will explore how agentic AI is transforming customer journeys, enabling marketers to move faster, act smarter, and take greater ownership of decision-making.
About SAS
SAS is a global leader in analytics and artificial intelligence, helping organisations turn data into actionable insights and intelligent decisions. With decades of expertise in advanced analytics, SAS empowers businesses to build scalable, secure, and responsible data-driven ecosystems. Its solutions, including SAS Customer Intelligence 360, enable marketers to design, automate, and optimise personalised customer experiences in real time, combining powerful AI capabilities with transparency, governance, and trust.
Quick Q&A with Ana Beotas
Could you please give us a quick introduction of yourself and share a bit about your role at SAS?
I’m a MarTech Solutions Advisor at SAS, where I help organisations build marketing ecosystems -in an era defined by AI, Gen AI or Agentic AI- that are not just AI-powered, but also intelligent, efficient, and ethically grounded. It’s a fascinating endeavour, especially in today’s context, where our industry is at an inflection point.
Why did you choose to participate in this summit?
Last year’s edition was an incredibly valuable experience and a chance to connect with people from across the industry. This year, I look forward to reconnecting and discussing what AI should do and who is accountable, which is an important conversation that is finally in the mainstream debate. I also look forward to learning and exchanging ideas that we can apply in this context.
Many marketers still rely heavily on data science teams. How does SAS CI 360 enable marketers to take more control of AI-driven decision-making?
Most AI projects in marketing take 3-6 months to reach an initial deployment and more than 12 months to generate meaningful ROI, which is not an AI problem but a dependency on data science. That’s why we are enabling marketers to configure their AI projects through intuitive use-case-driven templates. Marketers can select their preferred AI use case, define and control their rules and arbitration logic easily with full explainability, plus deploy their projects in their data environment, with zero ops and no infrastructure burden. This helps AI work on what exists, not against it, whilst helping marketers own their decisioning.
We often speak about purpose and ethics in technology. In your opinion, how should organisations approach responsible AI in marketing today?
Responsible AI is not a compliance checkbox; it’s a design philosophy at SAS for more than 50 years. In the products I support, marketers can always understand and defend why a particular offer was made and to whom. But it’s more than the explainability embedded in each AI model; it’s about executing and amplifying human intent. If marketing becomes fully automated without human governance, then who or what decides the right balance?
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of AI in marketing, especially as it becomes more autonomous and action-oriented?
The creative space this opens for us. When AI decides and automates everything, marketers are freed to focus on what AI cannot do: original thinking, creativity, intuition, brand voice, instinct, ingenuity… This is what I find genuinely exciting.
Can you share one personal or professional goal you’d like to achieve in 2026?
I’d like to help organisations build something they should be proud of five years from now. I do believe that how we implement and apply marketing and AI will shape customer trust and society, and I want to be part of doing it well.
Ana’s perspective highlights a crucial shift in how organisations approach AI, not as a standalone capability, but as a tool that must be guided by human intent, responsibility, and creativity. As marketing becomes increasingly automated, the real opportunity lies in striking the right balance between machine-driven efficiency and human-led vision. Those who embrace this balance will not only unlock smarter customer journeys but also build the trust and relevance needed for long-term success.
The MarTech Summit Madrid – Redefining MarTech: Autonomous, Intelligent, Human-Centred
Join us on 19 May 2026 at VP Plaza España Design! This English-language event offers a comprehensive exploration of the evolving MarTech landscape, focusing on the integration of technology, data, and innovation in driving business success.
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Last updated: May 2026
