Using AI tools for PR
We live in a fast-changing technological world where every day you are told “AI can do this and that for you”.
Some people may see this as a negative, but there are plenty of positives around its use too – especially in PR.
I assessed the impact of AI in public relations two years ago, but time has moved on, so here is an update on how things have changed.
What is AI?
AI is a technology that enables machines or computers to simulate tasks that would typically require human intelligence. It stands for artificial intelligence and covers many things, including solving problems, learning, decision-making, being creative and more.
While AI has plenty of benefits, it is no substitute for humans in many situations, and the same is true in PR. It cannot replace the most human elements of our job, but it can be used to complement our skills.
There are also risks in using it, so we must ensure we are using it carefully and not in the wrong way.
Is the use of AI in PR a new thing?
The use of AI in PR is not new and has been going on for longer than people realise. As far back as early 2018, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) founded a panel to look into the opportunities that using artificial intelligence in public relations could have.
Called the CIPR Artificial Intelligence in Public Relations – and given the hashtag #AIinPR – the panel has become known for being “a centre of excellence for promoting knowledge and understanding of AI within public relations”.
In 2023, it produced what it said was “the world’s first comprehensive analysis of the use of AI in PR and its impact on public relations work”.
Entitled “Humans Needed More Than Ever”, the report produced some interesting findings – one of which eased any worries we PR people may have had about our futures!
It said that while AI led to an “increase in tool development and offers, there is little evidence that wholesale job replacement is underway.”
It stated that any threats to jobs would be in areas where people needed a more advanced skill set.
Using AI in PR
Utilising AI in PR is highly beneficial for us PR professionals.
The analysis in the CIPR report showed that AI was being used in PR for the more manual tasks. This is freeing us up to concentrate on the heart of our jobs – focusing on our clients’ needs and being creative in helping them achieve their goals.
Using AI in PR is happening for tasks like:
- Data analysis
- Content creation
- Managing social media platforms
- Media monitoring
- Chatbots
However, tasks such as advising clients, leadership, and key decision-making are still handled by PR specialists. These are all areas where judgment is required, meaning people are still the right choice.
Is AI transforming the PR landscape?
It certainly looks like AI is transforming the PR landscape in many different ways.
An article on Medium by Ronn Torossian, chairman of a leading American PR agency, giving a “strategic analysis” of the current state of play, suggests it is “shifting from an intuition-based field to one powered by data and predictive capabilities”.
For example, the Associated Press reported that PR teams that let AI handle their media monitoring find 37% more relevant mentions compared to doing the job manually. The AI systems spot patterns in coverage and flag up any potential issues before they escalate.
Again emphasising how important the human touch still is for PR firms, Torossian wrote: “While AI tools provide unprecedented capabilities in analysis, prediction and targeting, they work best when combined with human strategic thinking and creativity.
“PR professionals who master this balance will define the future of the field.”
How do PR agencies feel about using AI?
The way PR agencies feel about using AI currently was revealed earlier this year in a survey of senior PR and communications leaders by media intelligence platform Cision and trade magazine PR Week.
Discussing the power of AI for public relations, their analysis showed that 30% of respondents felt “very confident” their firm was in a good place to make the most of AI’s benefits.
A third already use generative AI regularly, while another third have started to experiment with it.
Which AI tools are being used in PR?
A variety of AI tools are being used in PR. These digital PR tools include:
- ChatGPT. The best-known of all. It is a chatbot; essentially, it is a computer program designed to interact with humans online. It has been developed by the American AI organisation OpenAI. Its key aim is to create sentences that could have been written by a person. It can answer questions and write content, including press releases, articles, and code. However, it may not always be factually correct.
- Jasper. This is similar to ChatGPT but is designed specifically for marketing and content creation. It can optimise blog content and customise brand voices.
- Perplexity. An AI equivalent of Google, it is an AI-powered search engine that can put its findings into context. It differs from ChatGPT in that it doesn’t try to hold conversations with users; instead, it just provides relevant facts.
- Deepl. This is an AI translation tool that translates not just words, but entire documents.
- Hemingway. A tool which is used for proofreading an article. It checks written pieces for any typos, spelling mistakes, punctuation or other grammar issues to make anything you write as accurate as possible. It not only works in English but in more than 100 languages.
- Dazzle. A time-saving tool which finds the most relevant journalists to promote individual stories. It can build targeted media lists with contact details for anyone on it.
- Otter. One of several AI translation tools which exist.
- Blackbird. All of these tools need to be protected, and Blackbird uses AI-driven threat detection and risk management to give firms solutions and improve cybersecurity by using advanced data analysis.
How beneficial is the use of AI in PR?
The use of AI in PR can be highly beneficial for companies, with its primary advantage being the significant time savings it offers.
It is efficient and speedy, meaning that routine tasks can be done much more quickly than if a person were doing them. The fact that AI tools are able to sift through large datasets means they can help to produce, or advise on, more informed PR strategies at a rapid speed.
It is also possible to scale AI to fit in with the size of your company, whether you have one PR professional or 50.
Meanwhile, personalisation, something which is becoming a bigger thing generally in the media industry, is another factor with which AI software is able to help.
What are the risks in over-reliance on AI in PR?
There are risks in over-reliance on the use of AI in PR.
These include:
- Loss of the human feeling. The more content that is generated by AI, the less authentic it can feel, with less empathy towards a client who wants to benefit from the personal touch.
- Misinformation or bias. AI is only as knowledgeable as it has learned to be. It can easily have certain biases that it will not know are wrong because of the way in which it has been trained. Potentially, this could affect messaging around clients’ campaigns.
- Security breaches. Sensitive data is handled by AI, which could make it vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which in turn can be costly for companies.
- Not enough exclusivity. If too many PR firms use AI for the same kinds of tasks – such as drafting press releases and doing social media posts – there is a chance they could all look more or less identical to each other. This means companies lose their own unique feel and identity in a crowded market.
How can PR firms mitigate the risks of using AI?
PR firms can mitigate the risks of using AI too much in the following ways:
- Develop human skills. Companies must ensure that they work on developing their staff in PR skills, such as talking to and advising clients, which AI cannot do.
- Use AI in the correct way. The key here is to use AI as a tool to perform certain tasks, not to replace human beings.
- Improve security protocols. Firms must have strong security systems, especially around sensitive client data.
What successes have PR firms had using AI?
There have been plenty of successes for PR firms that use AI in their work.
One notable example has been reported by the public relations brand PR Daily, which featured a piece on how communicators are using ChatGPT, highlighting the New York-based B2B tech-focused PR agency Crenshaw Communications. It pays for enhanced ChatGPT accounts, which allow its staff to use the tool quickly, even during periods of high demand.
Partner Chris Harihar explained: “It gives us the ability to more immediately understand a complicated and complex topic that doesn’t require you manually searching through pages on Google and then trying to figure out what content might be worth it to read.”
He did have a word of warning, though, adding: “You have to make sure that you’re vetting and authenticating some of that information.”
Earlier this year, the Golin PR agency helped a sustainable fashion brand in Atlanta manage a crisis when a viral post on X accused it of greenwashing, which is making misleading statements about a product’s environmental benefits.
The agency used AI to investigate the issue, and it helped them produce a transparent blog post to explain the situation to activists and a cheeky reply on X for influencers. It worked, and by the end of the week, positive posts about the company and the incident rose by 30%.
The fashion brand’s PR manager, Jamal Carter, said: “AI heard the world’s whispers, but Golin helped us answer with heart.”
Another success came with a campaign for Heinz tomato ketchup. The food company said it was a social experiment to prove that people associated ketchup with Heinz.
Initially, it anonymously asked people from 18 countries to draw a bottle of ketchup, and thousands of replies drew one in the Heinz shape.
A text-to-image AI image generator was then asked to “draw ketchup”, and the same thing happened.
What is the future for AI tools in PR?
The future of AI tools in public relations is unpredictable. There are numerous different views – some based on guesswork, while others are informed by surveys of PR professionals and anecdotal evidence.
However, one thing is clear: the use of AI tools in public relations is here to stay.
Tech PR agency PRLab, citing a survey by research firm Gartner, states that by 2026, at least 80% of PR professionals expect to be using AI tools.
It says: “As AI expands into the future, it has the potential to unveil newer channels to unleash the effectiveness of PR practice and drive professionals to innovate ways not imagined earlier.”
New ways of communicating are appearing all the time and helping us engage with our clients in fresh and exciting ways.
One method is immersive journalism, which utilises tools like virtual reality and augmented reality, along with 360-degree video, to put our clients at the heart of a situation. This approach enables us to show them how a campaign or launch might actually look before it happens.
AI can make these experiences even more realistic with even better graphics and personalisation for clients.
However, there are still concerns over the ethical use of AI, whether that involves misinformation or, as we mentioned earlier, bias towards only the things it is aware of.
While AI will continue to transform PR work, human skills like strategic thinking, creativity and ethical judgement, as well as years of experience, of course, will still be crucially important.
As founder of London-based PR Superstar, I’ve propelled visionary entrepreneurs, global brands and high-profile personalities into the headlines that matter, from The Times and The Financial Times to YouTube and BBC News. My black book of top-tier journalist, editor, producer and influencer contacts opens doors others can’t, while my sharp instincts and no-nonsense counsel deliver coverage that builds authority, fuels conversations and drives commercial results.
Whether I’m orchestrating a crisis communications plan at boardroom level, securing a double-page spread in The Sunday Times that generates six-figure sales, or crafting a thought leadership campaign that cements market dominance, my work doesn’t just get clients mentioned - it gets them remembered.
If you want bold strategy, fearless storytelling and a PR partner who plays at the highest level, I’m the one to call.
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