Artificial intelligence, as a transformative factor in digital marketing, plays a significant role in increasing productivity, personalizing customer interactions, and creating competitive advantage. The present study was conducted with the aim of designing a comprehensive framework for the application of artificial intelligence in digital marketing for businesses operating in Iran’s e-commerce industry. This qualitative–descriptive–exploratory research was carried out through semi-structured interviews with 10 digital marketing managers and experts, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the framework for applying artificial intelligence consists of three main dimensions: influencing factors, relationships among factors, and outcomes. Influencing factors include initial experience and adoption, artificial intelligence tools and technologies, creative applications, and limitations. The relationships among factors emphasize the integration of artificial intelligence into processes, organizational culture and acceptance, data infrastructures, and human–AI interaction. The outcomes include improved productivity and speed, cost savings, enhanced content quality, changes in organizational roles, and the creation of competitive advantage. Limitations such as unnatural outputs, limited creativity, and ethical challenges were also identified. This framework can assist managers and researchers in formulating effective strategies and optimizing the use of artificial intelligence in digital marketing.