New CMO Warns Against AI Impersonation in Marketing

Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz has been appointed as the new Chief Marketing Officer for Spellbook, a legal tech startup specializing in AI tools for legal contracts. Kuran-Berkowitz, who previously led growth at Deel, is taking a strong stance against using AI to impersonate human interaction in marketing efforts. She believes that all marketing content, from emails to social posts, should be clearly identified as human-generated to respect customers' time and avoid a "creepy" feeling.

Spellbook recently secured significant funding, raising $50 million in Series B funding in October 2025 and a $40 million debt facility in March 2026. Kuran-Berkowitz's immediate goal is to propel the company toward $100 million in revenue by the close of 2026. Her marketing strategy will focus on meaningful customer interactions and organic placements in relevant communities and newsletters, steering clear of celebrity sponsorships and aiming to build Spellbook into the go-to brand for contract management.

While Kuran-Berkowitz acknowledges AI's utility in specific marketing functions like data analysis and presentation creation, she draws a firm line at its use in mimicking personal communication. She cites the deluge of AI-personalized cold emails as an example of marketing that feels intrusive and insincere. Spellbook's CEO, Scott Stevenson, also encourages employees to draft initial ideas themselves before employing AI for refinement.