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The PR picture: how AI is bringing ’relations’ back to media relations

AI seems to be everywhere you look, but is it here to steal our jobs or to make them easier?

You could have been forgiven for thinking that AI was the theme of the PR360 conference, so prevalent were mentions of the significance of this technology. In fact, one speaker prefaced his presentation with “I know what you’re thinking, oh no, another talk on AI”.  

Nobody can argue that AI is a hot topic in the comms industry. But is it all hype (and as PR people, let’s face it, we’re good at hype), or are we genuinely on the verge of a revolution which will transform the way we work?  

As you might expect, the answer lies somewhere in between.  

First of all, let’s define what we mean when we are talking AI. When ChatGPT burst onto the mainstream 18 months ago, AI suddenly became a lot more tangible to those of us without a degree in IT. But actually, many of us have been using rudimentary forms of AI for years. Who hasn’t used a spellcheck to scan for typos, or Canva to zhush up a presentation? And yet while these usages are commonplace, the rapid acceleration in the potential of AI has left people concerned about its power, excited about its potential, and in a lot of cases, burying their heads in the sand. 

Concerns around ethics and trust aside, one of the common concerns around AI is that it will put people of work – “robots are coming for our jobs” has almost become a byword for scepticism and distrust of tech. But is this accurate? And should those of us in comms be concerned? The short answer is no. Stuart Bruce, PR Futurist said “’Is AI going to take my job?’ No, unless you don’t know how to use it.” Ant Cousins, VP of AI Strategy at Cision elaborated further, “AI isn’t coming for your job, but it is coming for the specific tasks which it can do better than you.” 

Cousins described the journey AI is currently on, from assistant – where it needed detailed instructions and lots of feedback, to co-pilot – where we currently are, where it can process a more complex task such as writing a press release. The most revolutionary phase will be what is coming next – what he described as the ‘autopilot’ phase, where it can process multiple complex tasks and identify what needs to be done without being instructed. 

So, if AI can do all this, where do we as humans fit in? Bruce suggested that AI should be seen as an enabler. Cousins explained that as humans, our role is to govern AI, providing context, big picture understanding, success metrics, empathy, and direction. As AI plays a greater role in the more manual tasks, it will also bring into focus human-first areas such as relationships, creativity and strategy. The overwhelming feeling from all speakers was positive – far from displacing humans. What AI will do is allow us to operate at a higher level – more effectively, efficiently and creatively.   

If you are looking to take your first steps in AI, here are a few key pointers to get started: 

  1. AI can be great if you are operating with limited resource: Rajan Lakhani of Plum explained how he had used AI to speed up and automate big tasks such as research and analysis of data to fuel PR stories. 
  2. Don’t rely on ChatGPT to do your homework for you, but do use it as a starting point: Generative AI can be a great starting point to provide a framework for written content, but it can only get you so far – as a human you will be much more sensitive to the nuance, understanding the company, its audience, and how any content will land with them.
  3. Exercise caution with confidential data: Most generative AI relies on a large language model (LLM) meaning that it will take inputs and learn from it. Some tools don’t learn from inputs, and the paid versions are a safer bet, but make sure you are crystal clear on this before sharing information which is not in the public domain. 
  4. Use AI to cut through the noise: If you need to get up to speed on a complex topic fast, AI can take numerous detailed articles and papers and provide you with a succinct summary of key points. 
  5. Rediscover the relations in media relations: In a world with more organisations and fewer journalists, and an increase in the use of automated techniques to tailor pitches and content to media, there will be an increasingly level playing field. This means that those who take the time to build personal relationships with media and understand their needs will be able to cut through more successfully.