Implications of AI in PR
Along with most industries, artificial intelligence will be utilized as a tool to advance the practice of modern public relations to be more efficient. AI will not replace PR jobs but rather enhance the work performed by PR professionals to the best of their ability.
Media outreach is an interesting element of PR that will be integrated heavily with artificial intelligence in the future. From drafting ideas for news releases, pitches catered to journalists, specified media lists, email subject lines, and more, AI can cut the time it would normally take to do these written tasks in half, if not more. Through prompt engineering, individuals are able to brainstorm ideas from AI sources that could take days to come up with on their own.
AI is currently used in numerous ways across the industry. Platforms like Google Analytics allow professionals to monitor media better than ever before. DALL-E2 is an OpenAI system that creates images from prompts; this can be used in content creation to save time from building graphics for posts. For crisis communication, AI allows users to piece together background research to form messaging in a timely manner.
Some of the AI tools used to carry out these tasks are mentioned in a Forbes article titled, “How PR Professionals Can Use Artificial Intelligence Tools To Enhance Their Work,” Jenna Guarnari, founder of JMG PR shares how AI can also predict the chances of a pitch earning coverage. “There are numerous AI-assisted tools that can aid PR professionals in crafting pitches and increase the chances of earning media coverage. In addition to tools like Grammarly, Cision and Meltwater, Propel has launched PitchPrefer, a feature that analyzes pitching preferences with the help of AI.” The tools offered by the platforms that are well-known in the industry will be easy to introduce to individuals struggling to adapt to the world of AI. A familiar interface will assist with a seamless transition and add value to the work normally done within the platform.
Despite the vast breakthroughs, there are some fears surrounding using AI with media outreach, with fears of data leaks of sensitive information. This fear has prevented many in the PR industry from using generative AI in the workplace and has some C-Suites creating guidelines over the usage of AI. Because of this, many companies are starting to develop their own AI platforms for their employees to use that are maintained within their own servers to prevent data leaks. With these self-made servers, background information has to be fed into the model in order for it to learn about the company.
AI provides PR professionals with a framework for success. It can be useful in generating ideas, that let the creative minds of the industry soar. In a Forbes article titled, “How does AI Fit Into The Future of Good PR?” April White, founder of Trust Relations, shares,“With AI as a starting point to support the operations side of media relations and copywriting, more time and space will open up for the artistic side to flourish. Content must inspire, and AI tools can be a useful starting point for that human factor to step in.” In the communications field, AI does not have all of the answers. PR relies on human interaction to display emotion and tone that cannot be captured organically through generative AI without the proper prompt engineering.
An example of AI being used for media outreach is with PR firm Gregory FCA’s AI press release writing tool called Write Release. This generative AI platform asks users to answer a few questions pertaining to the release and choose a headline, and then a press release can be formed in just three minutes. The same company also runs Newsprint, a Media Monitoring service that automatically scans headlines to curate the stories that matter to a set business. These innovative tools will help modernize the landscape of media outreach.
AI is still in the early stages of being adopted into the workplace and in order to get ahead of the curve, it is important for those in the communications field to learn how to utilize AI to the best of their potential. Gary Grossman, senior vice president and head of Edelman’s AI Center of Excellence shares, “Now is the time to experiment aggressively with these tools. Forward-thinking media companies are already unleashing the full potential of AI in their workflows. PR agencies and in-house departments should do the same, to take advantage of AI’s capabilities such as content generation, process optimization and editing.” The primary focus is to learn how to make professionals more comfortable in letting AI assist with their work.
Society has so much to learn from AI, just as AI has so much to learn from society. It’s the ultimate mutual benefitting relationship that public relations is built upon. Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan once said, “We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” As the communications industry alters at the front of a new wave of technology, it is important to mold these tools surrounding AI into resources that would benefit communicators in the industry the most. PR agencies should focus on how to let their employees proactively engage with AI to empower individuals.
Bibliography
1 Guarneri, Jenna. “Council Post: How PR Professionals Can Use Artificial Intelligence Tools to Enhance Their Work.” Forbes, October 4, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/22/how-pr-professionals-can-use-artificial-intelligence-tools-to-enhance-their-work/?sh=7d0974f265c8.
2 Hawkins, Eleanor. “The Public Relations Field Grapples with AI .” Axios. Accessed October 12, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/03/23/pr-field-grapples-with-ai.
3 The Power and Purpose of AI in Media Relations.” www. Accessed October 12, 2023. https://www.prsa.org/article/the-power-and-purpose-of-ai-in-media-relations.
4 White, April. “Council Post: How Does AI Fit into the Future of Good PR?” Forbes, October 5, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2023/06/14/how-does-ai-fit-into-the-future-of-good-pr/?sh=1fa971b52f77.