How AI is Finding a New Home in PR
When AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude started showing signs of being decent writers, some of my friends urged me to join the artists and actors who were going to war to stop this unholy alliance between the big tech firms and the cyber-beings.
I resisted their attempts to draft me into their fight, mostly because it was a fight I knew they would lose.
I can imagine similar conversations that must have occurred as automobiles replaced horses, steamships replaced sailing ships, and the first wheeled carts replaced humans who were dragging their stuff around. The difference, of course, is that AI isn’t replacing us; it’s empowering us.
In my PR business, I take great pride in my writing. After writing hundreds of stories for the trade press, I built a reputation for getting complex stories right. I don’t want to give that up; I’ll retire before I do. And yet, with my guidance and experience, AI can help me create good content ten times as fast.
For those reading this from the cheap seats, that’s an order of magnitude. I’d be a fool to ignore that kind of efficiency bump.
Of course, not everyone thinks the way I do. As 2026 approaches, the public relations industry is standing on the edge of a major transformation. AI has already proven its power to streamline research, track sentiment, and personalize outreach, but not everyone has embraced it.
Some who are leaning in are doing it the wrong way, IMHO. The agencies that will lead the next chapter of our business won’t be the ones automating everything with AI. They’ll be the ones learning to balance human creativity with machine intelligence.
AI as the New PR Engine
Today, PR teams are using AI tools to track industry trends in real time, accelerate research, and refine campaign targeting with unprecedented precision. These technologies allow professionals to move faster and make data-backed decisions. But speed alone isn’t a strategy.
Technology is powerful, but it’s the people who make it purposeful.
AI can generate a headline. But it still struggles to make the story relatable to audiences it only knows through reference material. That’s where the human side of PR remains irreplaceable.
The agencies that thrive in 2026 will be those that understand the importance of context. AI may suggest trending topics or keywords, but it takes human instinct to know which stories will resonate and which might damage credibility.
Empathy, tone, and timing are the soft skills that define strong communicators, and they can’t be replicated well by algorithms, yet. I personally think that day is coming, but it’s a ways off yet.
When a company faces a reputation challenge or when a CEO must deliver an authentic message, it’s human understanding that still needs to guide the response. Using a script generated by a machine would be a mistake at this point.
But even when AI can do a decent job of delivering a critical story on demand, it won’t replace the humans. Imagine attending a press conference to hear from a corporate CEO why a disaster occurred, only to see a robot approach the podium. Trust me, it won’t play well.
Rewriting the PR Playbook
An AI-ready PR team doesn’t look like a tech lab. It looks like a group of curious, adaptable communicators who understand both people and technology.
These professionals experiment with new tools without letting them dictate the message. They analyze AI outputs but validate every insight against experience and intuition. And most importantly, they collaborate, using technology to support, not overshadow, the creative process.
The best agencies are not choosing between technological efficiency and authenticity. They’re building strategies designed to give them both, pairing automation with empathy and data with creativity. For clients, that means every campaign is grounded in intelligence but delivered with authenticity.
As AI continues to evolve, the PR industry’s greatest opportunity lies not in using it more, necessarily, but in using it wisely.
As we move into 2026, I expect AI to go beyond the trend to become the expectation. The real differentiator will be how well agencies integrate technology into the art of communication without losing the human touch that makes PR powerful.
At RGA, we believe that balance will define the future of our industry, and we’re ready for it.
