As inboxes grow more competitive and spam filters become increasingly aggressive, a rising percentage of legitimate marketing emails are still failing to reach consumers. New research shows that 16.9% of marketing emails never make it to their intended inboxes, creating a growing crisis for brands that rely heavily on email marketing.
This trend has major revenue implications as email remains one of the highest-performing digital marketing channels. Now, experts say AI-powered deliverability tools are reshaping how companies ensure that their emails stay out of spam folders.
AI Tools Move to the Frontline of Inbox Protection
According to Daniel Shnaider, co-founder and CEO of Warmy — an automated platform that improves email deliverability — modern spam filters are no longer just scanning message content. Instead, they evaluate complex sender behavior patterns.
“Spam filters have spent years battling phishing attacks and junk mail,” Shnaider said. “Now they’re so strict that even legitimate campaigns get flagged.”
ISPs closely analyze IP address reputation through behavior signals such as complaint rates, bounces, frequency of errors, and prior sending history. During peak seasons such as the holidays, these filters become even more unforgiving. Poor list hygiene, misconfigured authentication settings, or sudden volume spikes can quickly erode sender trust — pushing even high-quality marketing emails straight into spam.
AI Delivers Real-Time Monitoring and Predictive Insights
AI’s growing intelligence now allows email marketers to analyze complex patterns that were previously invisible. As Shnaider explains, advanced AI systems can:
- Analyze inbox behavior across major email providers
- Track engagement signals (opens, replies, deletions)
- Monitor sender reputation indicators
- Predict which messages are likely to hit the primary inbox versus spam
“In the past, marketers could only guess why their emails failed,” Shnaider said. “AI now shows exactly how providers respond to campaigns — and alerts teams before problems escalate.”
AI-based deliverability tools can also detect domain health issues instantly. Brands are notified in real time when bounce rates rise, a domain appears on a blacklist, or an authentication error threatens deliverability. These early warnings help businesses preserve sender reputation and avoid costly disruptions.
AI Helps Fix Hidden Deliverability Issues Before Sending
Beyond monitoring, AI tools play a hands-on role in improving deliverability.
Systems can scan email lists for invalid or risky contacts, detect patterns that trigger spam filters, and recommend optimizations for content, timing, volume, or segmentation. These capabilities align with industry findings on how to improve deliverability by strengthening domain health and user engagement.
AI algorithms can also point out format issues — such as overly image-heavy content or aggressive subject lines — and suggest fixes that increase inbox placement odds.
Sender Reputation Now Matters More Than Email Design
While email copy and creative still influence engagement, Shnaider emphasizes that sender reputation now outweighs content in determining inbox placement.
Email providers reward consistency, authenticity, and user engagement — not flashy designs. AI tools help uphold these standards by automatically:
- Throttling email volume when complaints rise
- Maintaining list hygiene
- Optimizing send times
- Fine-tuning outbound frequency
- Automatically re-engaging inactive contacts
These automated adjustments help brands preserve sender reputation even during high-volume campaigns.
A New Era for Email Marketing Has Begun
As businesses continue to rely on email for customer communication, AI-driven systems are quickly becoming essential. Industry solutions built around AI email security and deliverability optimization — such as those explored by Acronis in their work on optimizing email deliverability — indicate a major shift toward automation-led email strategies.
Shnaider notes that AI’s evolving capabilities allow marketers to stop guessing and instead make data-driven decisions rooted in real-time behavior patterns.
“AI is transforming deliverability into a science,” he said. “By understanding why emails reach spam and fixing issues proactively, businesses can ensure their most important messages land at the top of the inbox.”