The Role of AI in Public Relations: Essential Insights for Crisis Communication Specialists

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Dear reader,

Greetings from beautiful Baku!

Over the past two years, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in corporate communications and public relations has sparked intense debate and experimentation.

So I read Stephen Waddington's recent management briefing paper "Use of AI in Corporate Communications and Public Relations: The Story So Far" and explored the key learnings and insights that are particularly important for crisis communications professionals like us.

Enjoy the read and keep safe!

Table of Contents

• The role of AI in public relations: key findings a …

  • Understanding the current impact of AI

    • Limited acceptance and high expectations

    • Challenges and opportunities

  • Key insights for crisis communication

    • Governance and ethical considerations

    • Hallucination and misinformation

    • Future capabilities and roles

  • Practical applications and implementation strategi …

    • Experimental to systematic introduction

    • Customised AI solutions

  • My take on this.

• References and further reading.

• Sponsor

• What I am reading/testing/checking out:

The role of AI in public relations: key findings and insights for crisis communication professionals¹ .

Understanding the current impact of AI

Limited acceptance and high expectations

Despite the huge interest in AI, especially after the introduction of tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT, actual adoption in public relations is surprisingly low. According to a survey by Cision and PRWeek² , only 32% of PR professionals use AI frequently, while 27% are just beginning to experiment.

This cautious approach appears to be due to concerns about the reliability and accuracy of AI results.

Challenges and opportunities

The possibilities of AI in public relations are promising, but are not yet sufficiently utilised. While the technology excels at tasks such as pattern recognition, content creation and administrative functions, it struggles to understand basic concepts and cultural nuances.

In crisis communications, where nuance and context are critical, AI can play a supporting rather than central role. It can increase efficiency in data analysis and initial drafts of content, but it cannot replace human judgement and creativity.

Key insights for crisis communication

Governance and ethical considerations

The use of AI in public relations is still evolving. Ethical considerations, particularly in relation to transparency, data security and intellectual property, are crucial.

The European Union's AI Act and similar regulatory frameworks aim to address these issues by introducing a risk-based classification system and enforcing standards for high-risk applications.

As crisis communication specialists, we need to stay abreast of these regulations to ensure compliant and ethical use of AI in our strategies.

Hallucination and misinformation

A major problem with AI is "hallucination"," where AI tools generate false or misleading information. This risk is particularly acute in crisis communications, where the dissemination of accurate and timely information is critical.

The report highlights cases where AI tools have failed and emphasises the need for human oversight and review of AI-generated content.

Future capabilities and roles

As AI continues to evolve, so will the requirements for public relations professionals. Crisis communications professionals will need to master the use of AI tools for data analysis and content creation while maintaining strict ethical standards and strategic oversight.

The CIPR report "Humans Needed More Than Ever"³ emphasises the importance of combining human intelligence with AI to improve strategic planning and ethical decision-making.

Practical applications and implementation strategies

Experimental to systematic introduction

The adoption of AI in public relations is moving from experimental phases to systematic implementations. Some organisations, such as Hard Numbers⁴ , have set up innovation teams to explore the potential of AI in different areas such as media relations, research and evaluation.

In crisis communications, the integration of AI tools can streamline monitoring and analysis and enable teams to respond more quickly and effectively to new situations.

Customised AI solutions

Developing custom AI models tailored to the specific needs of the organisation can address concerns about data security and model accuracy.

By developing their own AI applications, organisations can better control the data used for training and ensure that the results are in line with their ethical standards and strategic objectives.

My take on this.

The integration of AI into public relations offers significant potential to increase efficiency and effectiveness, particularly in crisis communications. However, it also brings challenges that require careful management and ethical oversight.

As AI technology evolves, PR professionals must remain informed and adaptable to harness the capabilities of AI while maintaining the human touch that is critical to crisis management and building trust.

For us as crisis communications specialists, it's important to see AI not as a replacement, but as a complement. By combining AI-driven insights with human expertise, we can improve our strategies and ensure more robust, ethical and effective crisis management.

References and further reading.

1  AI. (2022). Wadds Inc. | Professional advisor to agencies & comms teams. Wadds Inc. | https://wadds.co.uk/the-use-of-ai-in-corporate-communications-and-public-relations-the-story-so-far

2  PR Statistics: 2024 Global Comms Report by the Numbers | Cision. (2024). Cision. https://www.cision.com/resources/articles/pr-statistics-2024-global-comms-report-by-numbers/

3  CIPR. (2023, September 19). Humans Needed More Than Ever; New CIPR AI in PR report finds AI tools assisting with 40% of PR tasks. Humans Needed More than Ever; New CIPR AI in PR Report Finds AI Tools Assisting with 40% of PR Tasks ; CIPR. https://newsroom.cipr.co.uk/humans-needed-more-than-ever-new-cipr-ai-in-pr-report-finds-ai-tools-assisting-with-40-of-pr-tasks/

4  Hard Numbers Blog | Agency Insight. (2024). Hardnumbers.co.uk. https://www.hardnumbers.co.uk/how-we-think/ai-readiness-seven-hard-truths-for-pr

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What I am reading/testing/checking out:

• Tool : The Luxury Hotel Crisis Scenario Creator, a free GPT

• Article: Disaster Risk Resilience: Conceptual Evolution, Key Issues,

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_{Parts of this newsletter were created using AI technology to draft content. In addition, all AI-generated images include a caption stating, 'This image was created using AI'. These changes were made in line with the transparency requirements of the EU AI law for AI-generated content.}