AI in PR: 5 Things You Should Expect
The world is changing, and AI is undeniably helping to facilitate that change. You are likely incorporating or considering how to incorporate AI in your day-to-day work. You may also be pondering how your respective teams, including your public relations team, should utilize AI. This is important because you want to work smarter but you don’t want to step into needless crisis situations.
With regards to your internal team, know that leading PR associations such as the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the PR Council offer helpful guidelines for the ethical use of generative AI. Of course, you’ll want to establish norms to guide your organization’s AI usage. However, we want to offer recommendations. Specifically, you should expect your PR team to do these 5 things:
Understand your industry’s sentiments on AI
While AI can be used to enhance production and efficiency, there are a number of ethical considerations. From the impact of data mills on local communities, to copyright infringement concerns, to biases, many leaders and organizations harbor a healthy dose of concern with regards to generative AI. Your team should not only be aware of these concerns, but should adhere to industry recommended best practices specific to AI usage.
Clearly communicate AI usage
Your organization, including your public relations team, should communicate if and how they use AI. There should be no surprises with regards to AI usage. If your team relies on AI in the writing process, they should disclose that information. If they use AI to develop apps, they should disclose that as well. Maintaining transparency builds trust and also allows various stakeholders to offer input and feedback.
We know the media landscape is changing, but these changes shouldn’t be destabilizing. If you need support thinking through any aspect of strategic communications, from crisis communications to coaching for your internal team, please schedule a consultation today.
Use AI to enhance, and not replace
AI can enhance certain communications functions, such as headline creation, research, data synthesis, and app development. It cannot replicate a communications team, nor can it offer the personal connections and relationships that fuel innovation. Your PR team should use the tool to enhance, not replace core strategic communications functions.
Carefully manage sensitive information
Strategic communications often involves the management of confidential information. You should expect your team to carefully manage sensitive information, never disclosing proprietary insights, privileged information, or information that could compromise your organization or the people you serve. This is essential because there are no guarantees chat logs are protected and all apps are subject to data breaches.
Additionally, PR teams are often bound by non-disclosure agreements, making how we manage information even more critical. Your team should operate under the age-old PR assumption: “if you do not want information to become public, be careful where you write it down; or don’t write it down at all.”
Authenticate data provided by AI
Your team will want to confirm and authenticate information gleaned from AI. Team members should not assume that data pulled from AI is accurate without separate verification. We discuss this more in depth here.
As I shared at the outset, the world is changing. But you do not have to navigate this fast-paced environment alone. If you are looking for support in crisis communications, strategic communications, and public relations, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation.
Sophia Shannon is a media relations associate for Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out our other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.