7 ways artificial intelligence will change the game for PR pros

Though many digital tools are still being developed and refined, the potential exists for AI to turn PR on its head. Has Alexa replaced your kitchen timer? Do you rely on your car’s driver-assist features to regulate your distance from the car in front of you? Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have impacted us all, and the acceleration of digital transformation as a result of the pandemic is expected to continue. McKinsey’s Global Institute predicts that while AI is being applied to business problems across nearly every sector of the global economy, the effects of AI applications will be felt most in marketing and sales. The research firm notes that AI could unlock as much as $2.6 trillion in business value within the sales and marketing sector. Starbucks is a good example. Earlier this year, CEO Kevin Johnson, told analysts that the company is relying on AI technology predictions to determine how vaccination rates will impact sales growth. [ragan_ads ad_size='InlineAd' category='current' id='322558'] As retailers like Starbucks begin to feel and assess the impact of AI in the marketplace, so will consumers and, by extension, PR and marketing. We already use AI-powered tools like Google Analytics and Cision to make our work more efficient and effective. Ideally, technological innovation should reduce the burden of drudgery and elevate people’s work, enabling creativity. AI technologies have the ability to free PR professionals to focus more on creative pursuits like crafting compelling messaging or planning strategic media outreach. Advances in sentiment analysis, predictive analytics, chatbots and natural language generation (NLG) are already having a direct impact on our industry. According to a recent blog published by Public Relations Today, here are some ways that AI is either helping support public relations activity now or will be in the near future: Speech-to-text technology – This can assist with media interview transcripts and searching within podcasts or press conferences using speech-to-text technology. AI-assisted contact recommendations – Though they haven’t been perfected yet, tools exist to proactively identify reporters who are writing about your industry, enabling you to target media most likely to cover your news, rather than manually building traditional media lists on categories and keyword searches. Predictive analytics – Two PR tech startups focused on predictive analytics offer tools that help you customize story angles for journalists based on interests, past coverage, personalities and trends and predicting the probability of a journalist covering your story. Video authenticity monitoring – There are even tools that can be used to monitor for “deepfake” videos that could negatively impact your client’s brand reputation. Natural language generation – As evidenced by the first press release written by AI, machines can produce content using NLG, and translate it into multiple languages for broader distribution. These technologies require refinement, but they are developing quickly. Sentiment analysis – Tools are also being developed to carry out advanced sentiment analysis on social media posts, media clippings and more. Attribution for earned media – PR tech tools, like Cision Impact and Onclusive, even promise to attribute sales outcomes to earned media coverage if, for example, a prospective buyer reads an article about your client and then downloads a white paper. This technology is still in its infancy but could be a game changer for an industry hungry for an objective way to prove ROI. All this potential is wildly exciting, but talk of digital transformation and machine learning inevitably leads to questions of obsolescence: Will AI eventually replace PR pros? A simple mindset shift can alleviate the worry. If we look for the ways technology can make us more effective by freeing us to come up with better ideas and affording us opportunities to explore those ideas, then we will rise with this wave of innovation rather than letting it overpower us. Is your organization already utilizing AI? How do you plan to incorporate new technologies in the new year? Rachel Chittick is a PR specialist with Communiqué PR. A previous version of this article appeared on the Communiqué blog.

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