AI for PR Leaders: Automate Tactics, Lead Strategically
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the landscape of public relations, communications and strategic advisory professions, reshaping workflows, amplifying message reach, and redefining the speed at which professionals operate. However, amidst this technological transformation, a critical distinction remains: AI excels at tactical implementation, but strategic advisory and high-level stakeholder engagement must continue to be guided by experienced human professionals.
Senior leaders, boards, and decision-makers in businesses, investment firms, and government entities must understand this nuance to leverage AI effectively while preserving human-led strategic governance.
The Tactical Power of AI in Communications
AI’s influence on PR and communications has been profound, primarily enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and scale. According to a report by Gartner (2024), ‘40% of businesses have deployed generative AI in multiple units, especially marketing and customer service functions.’
For example, AI tools can rapidly generate press releases, social media posts, and briefings based on predefined criteria, enabling communicators to respond swiftly to fast-moving events.
McKinsey’s analysis from 2022 also noted that companies using AI-powered analytics improved their messaging targeting, significantly enhancing campaign effectiveness and reach. Research from the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg Center for Public Relations presents insight into the ‘rising application of AI across communications by the public relations industry.’
However, as tactical capabilities increase through AI, senior executives must recognise the limits of automation.
While tactical execution is streamlined, the critical components of planning and strategic decision-making, particularly in reputation management and stakeholder engagement, demand nuanced human insight and intervention.
Strategic Advisory: The Human Domain
Strategic communication involves more than disseminating messages—it requires thoughtful consideration of context, empathy, cultural nuances, and long-term impacts. It requires the ability to identify stakeholders and their specific interests and be able, in essence, to connect the dots.
Despite its sophisticated analytics and predictive capabilities, AI currently lacks the depth of emotional intelligence and cultural sensitivity necessary for high-stakes advisory roles. And even when it can overcome this, the one thing that it will not be able to replace is the human interaction that people rely on.
AI and GenAI delivers improved productivity so that leaders, especially those who engage on a peer-to-peer level, with added insight that they can use in their advisory work.
Research published by Harvard Business Review (2023) underscores that 75% of executives consider trust and human relationships integral to successful strategic communication, especially during crises or complex negotiations. By its nature, senior-level advisory demands direct human interaction, trust-building, and judgement based on experience, ethics, and emotional intelligence—qualities that AI cannot fully replicate.
When considering crises, an organisation’s general counsel usually leads in engagement with the Board or C-suite. AI can be a great asset, especially when working alongside a strategic communications advisor.
Equally, the power and influence of experts are critical. Leaders make decisions not just based on the data they are presented with but also on the trust and perception of those presenting them with strategic options. Peer-to-peer advisory happens because of the expertise that an individual brings to a situation that needs solving.
What experts bring to the table is contextual awareness, nuance, or strategic alignment with organisational objectives, market realities and geopolitical or geoeconomic situations.
AI-generated options could overlook critical cultural, political, reputational, or human considerations, potentially misleading decision-makers and leading to misguided strategic choices or unintended consequences, which is why expertise and human engagement. Yes, improving prompting can help, but it still lacks the human ability to understand the outcome and the data generated from the prompt engineering used.
Relationships Are Crucial, Especially Across International Cultures
Understanding cultural nuances is indispensable in international strategic communications. A 2019 article from Harvard Business Review highlights how, globally, trust in institutions is deeply intertwined with cultural perceptions, and messages that resonate in one region can significantly differ in another.
Human communications experts bring the ability to navigate these cultural complexities. They possess the experience to interpret subtle cultural signals, body language, and unspoken expectations—critical for international business and diplomatic communications. By contrast, AI tools, though capable of identifying patterns, data and sentiments across large datasets, lack the innate ability to genuinely engage and build trusted personal relationships across diverse cultures, which are critical in international business and trade.
Peer-to-peer relationships are fundamental in business, particularly when operating across different markets and cultures because they establish trust, mutual respect, and a deeper understanding that transcends transactional interactions.
Effective peer relationships foster open dialogue, enable nuanced decision-making, and help navigate cultural complexities that technology alone cannot decipher. Negotiating with a leader gives you the confidence that whatever is ultimately agreed, the authority of the person you’ve negotiated with will enable them, most of the time, to action what’s been agreed.
Recognising and adapting to cultural differences not only improves communication clarity but also strengthens partnerships, facilitating smoother negotiations and more resilient business outcomes. Ultimately, businesses that invest in cultivating meaningful, culturally aware peer-to-peer interactions are better positioned to succeed in international markets.
In my 15 years of working internationally, across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South East Asia and the US, I have seen the differences that make us unique. Training and advisory insight in these markets have had to be adapted to ensure that the messages and insight I share are received, and for this, an understanding of culture and the unique situation that each client, whether junior or senior, has been critical.
Clients I have worked with directly or indirectly expect an understanding of them and the environment in which they live or work. An understanding of culture helps to open doors.
AI-Assisted Design and Activation of Campaigns
While strategic decision-making and relationship management remain human-led, AI can significantly benefit the design, activation, and monitoring of influencing public or private campaigns.
AI can analyse vast datasets, segment audiences precisely, and optimise message dissemination at scale. For example, during a public health campaign, AI can rapidly adapt messaging based on real-time feedback loops, increasing campaign responsiveness and effectiveness. Similarly, in private influence campaigns, such as those aimed at regulators, investor communities or internal corporate stakeholders, AI-driven analytics can precisely measure and predict audience reactions and engagement levels.
However, while AI can effectively design and activate these campaigns, and automate them, governance and risk management must remain human-driven.
Equally, it is worth remembering that AI algorithms are prone to biases from historical datasets, which can inadvertently amplify misinformation or cultural insensitivity. Human governance and oversight ensures ethical standards, inclusivity, and appropriateness in messaging remain paramount.
Integrating Human Expertise and AI: A Model for the Future
Senior leaders in business, investment and in governments must strategically redesign their communications functions to integrate AI’s tactical capabilities alongside human strategic oversight.
In essence, where AI can support and unlock value for strategists and communicators by improving the productivity of leaders and the efficiency of those doing the tactical activation.
Here are some recommendations for effectively combining these capabilities:
1. Clear Delineation of Roles
Executives should clearly delineate between tasks suitable for AI automation and those requiring human oversight.
Tactical tasks such as media monitoring, basic content creation, and routine campaign management should leverage AI.
Conversely, strategic roles involving stakeholder engagement and management, crisis communications, high-level messaging, and ethical considerations must remain human-led.
2. Human-Centric Advisory Framework
These councils ensure that AI-generated strategies align with corporate values, ethics, and long-term stakeholder interests. These issues are discussed at the Board and C-suite and serve as a governance mechanism to mitigate AI-driven risks.
3. Invest in Human Skills
Companies should invest in continuous human capital development, emphasising skills that AI cannot replicate, such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking, ethics, and cross-cultural competency.
According to Deloitte’s 2023 Future of Work report, organisations investing in these skills see significant improvements in strategic agility and employee engagement.
4. Establish Robust Risk Management Practices
Leaders should embed robust risk management protocols that allow rapid human intervention if AI-driven campaigns diverge from desired outcomes or inadvertently propagate misinformation. Regular audits and oversight frameworks led by human teams ensure accountability and alignment with strategic objectives.
5. Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration
Encourage close collaboration between communication professionals, data scientists, legal experts, and senior leadership. This cross-functional approach ensures comprehensive understanding and alignment, maximising AI’s tactical benefits while retaining strategic integrity and mitigating risks.
Building the Future: Human-Led Strategic Excellence
AI’s transformative potential in PR and communications is undeniable. Yet, in my opinion, it remains a complementary rather than substitutive force. Organisations that excel will be those that judiciously leverage AI for tactical excellence while maintaining human-led strategic governance.
In a profession fundamentally grounded in human connection, influence, and trust-building—especially within complex international contexts—the future of successful PR and communications lies in a balanced model. One where AI enhances capabilities without replacing the essential human judgment, cultural awareness, and strategic foresight necessary for genuine engagement at the highest levels.
By clearly defining roles, enhancing human advisory capabilities, and embedding rigorous governance frameworks, leaders can ensure their organisations are perfectly positioned to harness AI’s full potential without losing the irreplaceable human element that remains the foundation of effective strategic communications.
Need to strategy and advisory to help your agency or in-house to better use AI for or strategic advisory or tatical campaign development?
I work with leaders to modernise and integrate strategic communications into their decision-making processes. Let’s discuss how your company can better use AI work flows in your communications, and corporate strategy for long-term success.
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