AI in PR: What role do PR practitioners play in the AI era that makes them indispensable

AI in PR is inevitable but how will this impact the industry?

By 2025, according to a study conducted by Gartner, 70 per cent of companies are expected to adopt AI into their daily operations to help employees in different tasks – especially tasks that deem easily be replaced with robots. One field where AI has possessing effect is public relations. As we slowly transition into the AI world, we have heard a lot of conversations surrounding the topic of how AI will disrupt hiring candidates and how companies should transition gracefully.

Sure, AI is great, and its primary application in PR often revolves around its ability to generate content ideas efficiently. Adopting AI in PR for in daily tasks and operations will certainly help in churning out pieces of content – but despite the technological advancements, PR practitioners stand out as important human assets to an organisation.

The human touch in PR

Whilst AI offers quick and great content, it still lacks the human touch for effective PR strategy. Let AI analyse vast amounts of data and statistics, but it fails to surpass human intelligence and cultural nuances. For example, crafting a heartfelt apology for a company’s misstep requires empathy and deep understanding – qualities that are only inherent in humans. PR practitioners shine in this area, bridging the gap between companies and their audiences through genuine and humane communication.

Whenever a company faces such a crisis, AI in PR might propose generic and on-the-surface solutions based on the data given to it. However, a PR practitioner can assess the situation thoroughly by understanding public sentiments and crafting a tailored message that resonates with specific audiences without being vague and thoughtless.

Is AI in PR the future?

There is no denying that in the AI era, PR will evolve into a symbiotic relationship between human expertise and technology. One great example of this is cutting-edge technologies such as AI-powered influencer marketing platforms which will help revolutionise brand partnerships. Not only will it assist in the daily operation of PR practitioners, but at the same time analyse and categorising large datasets.

Business owners should always strive for balance in their company. Not every job needs to be automated. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! What business owners can do is invest in training and upskilling their employees on how to operate these AI-powered machines and software. In the long run, we will realise that AI and humans can live in one ecosystem without jeopardising existing and future jobs.

Ethical navigation is key

Another component that will be a huge issue in the AI in PR era is navigating the ethical values within the organisation itself and client works. PR practitioners indirectly serve as ethical navigators ensuring that companies still uphold moral standards and navigate complex ethical considerations. From a legal standpoint, companies need to fully adhere to increasingly stringent data protection and privacy regulations. This includes sharing information to AI applications and software without filtering out sensitive information.

JC Escalante, Global Head of Generative AI (GenAI) at Ipsos identifies a three-step risk management framework to evaluate AI tools and models – truth, beauty, and justice. There should always be truth in this approach. This first step is to focus on the accuracy of the AI models used, analysing their quality and eliminating any false information. The beauty of AI models is that they generate new ideas and insights on the spot. As PR practitioners, they come in as the ethical navigators which encompass multiple areas like AI ethics, data security and privacy, and algorithmic fairness.

AI in PR: What’s next?

As argued above, AI in PR isinevitable but PR practitioners will not be replaced but rather enhanced. To penetrate human emotions through PR campaigns, one needs to master a deep understanding of human emotions and cultural values. Given the multi-racial employees working in a company that celebrates diversity, we can only expect great PR strategies to cater towards their company values and not against them. 

As AI continues to penetrate various industries, the role of PR practitioners remains indispensable. Their ability to incorporate human touch into PR tactics, adapt to the ever-changing technological landscape, and navigate through complex dilemmas sets them apart. And perhaps even farther than ever.

If you would like to learn more about AI in PR or are keen to leverage PR for business growth drop us an email at hello(a)syncpr.co today.