How is Artificial Intelligence Reshaping the PR Industry?

Many areas of society, economics, and even life, in general, have been completely revolutionized by technological advancements in recent years, leaving them indistinguishable from just a decade ago. This is especially true in the communications profession, where Public Relations is one of the fields that has seen major industry disruption-related developments in recent years.

The Public Relations sector is already benefiting from breakthroughs in sentiment analysis, predictive analytics, chatbots, and natural language generation (NLG). According to a recent blog post by Public Relations Today, AI is currently supporting public relations activities or will be in the near future in the following ways:

1. Speech-To-Text Technology

Speech-to-text technology can help with media interview transcripts and searches within podcasts or press conferences.

2. AI-Assisted Contact Recommendations

Rather than manually generating conventional media lists based on categories and keyword searches, technologies exist to proactively identify reporters who are writing about your business, allowing you to target media most likely to cover your news.

3. Predictive Analytics

Two PR software businesses that specialize in predictive analytics provide tools that allow you to tailor story angles for journalists based on their interests, previous coverage, personalities, and trends, as well as forecast the likelihood of a journalist reporting your story.

4. Video Authenticity Monitoring

There are also tools you can use to track "deepfake" videos that can negatively impact your customers' brand reputation.

5. Natural Language Generation

According to the first press release written by AI, machines can use NLG to create content and translate it into multiple languages for wider distribution. These technologies need improvement, but they are advancing rapidly.

6. Sentiment Analysis

Tools are also being developed to perform advanced sentiment analysis on social media posts, media scraps, and more.

7. Attribution For Earned Media

PR tools like Cision Impact and Onclusive promise to attribute sales results to media coverage if, for example, a potential buyer reads an article about a customer and then downloads a white paper. Although the technology is still in its infancy, it could be a game-changer in an industry hungry for objective ways to demonstrate ROI.

All of this potential is thrilling, but discussions about digital transformation and machine learning inevitably lead to worries about obsolescence: Will AI someday replace public relations professionals? Worry may be reduced with a simple mentality modification. If we search for ways that technology may help us be more productive by allowing us to come up with better ideas and giving us the opportunity to test those ideas, we will be able to ride the wave of innovation rather than being overwhelmed by it.

Is AI already being used in your company? In the coming year, how do you intend to incorporate new technologies?