Awhile back, I wrote about the Web and social media-driven changes rocking PR; back then, some called it a death blow. I called it PR’s moment of truth.
Fast forward to today (PR, not dead yet!). Now, AI represents another existential inflection point.
It is already having an impact, in good and bad ways. So what’s the deal, is it the proverbial best of times or worst of times for PR, given AI’s sudden and dramatic rise?
The WSJ recently asked the same thing in a different way: Will AI Empower the PR Industry or Create Endless Seas of Spam (shout out to my friend Stacey Ross Cohen for flagging this piece).
The article highlights the perils of the tech, citing an AI-generated pitching campaign that crashed terribly. It also mentioned efforts of PR agencies and enterprise comms teams to put the tech to more useful and productive work. Examples include generative optimization models that can influence LLMs; and using AI to assist with crisis and media monitoring and responses.
Many startups are entering the fray, and content generation seems to be a very popular application of AI in PR. This also presents challenges as the tech can generate and amplify crap content incrediblty easily (or “drive the cost of bullshit to zero”).
According to the WSJ story:
AI has complicated the jobs of PR people… The technology made email outreach less effective by encouraging an ever-larger deluge of spam messages…”
Patrick Coffee, WSJ
Some say that GenAI and AI search wll be a boon for PR. My friend and Fusion PR alum Julie Rankin flagged this LinkedIn post by PR pro Sarah Evans of Zen Media. It starts:
stop and read this. google i/o just changed pr. i’ve never said this louder.
Sarah Evans
She added: “Sundar Pichai‘s keynote (which i watched twice and transcribed) sent a clear signal: generative ai will rewrite how brand visibility, media, and public trust are shaped.if you’re in pr, or rely on it, here’s what you need to know.”
The post was all about the need to AI search optimize content, something I discussed with SEO guru Mark Traphagen when we was last on our PR Done & Doner podcast. Sarah’s post is decidedly bullish on prospects for PR, e.g. she says:
“💡 what this means for cmos and ceos: pr is your brand’s engine across search, social, and dark social.”
It’s hard to know what to make of all this. Just when we think we have it all figured out, we may get shaken up and turned inside out, that’s how fast the tech is progressing. So be wary of people who say they have all the answers, and silver bullets in the form the latest AI-powered PR tech.
Watch this blog, I’ll be posting more about AI developments and PR tactics that work today in light of all the changes that are shaking up our field.
