Vibe Comms: Using AI for PR and communications while preserving human expertise ??

The software development world is currently experiencing a fundamental shift with "vibe coding" - where developers collaborate with AI systems, focusing on outcomes rather than implementation details. But what happens when we apply this approach to communications and PR? Welcome to "vibe comms" - where AI amplifies human expertise rather than replacing it, creating a powerful approach that changes how organisations connect with audiences while still requiring significant domain knowledge and strategic guidance.

What is Vibe Coding?

Vibe coding is a term coined by Andrej Karpathy, recently a lead AI researcher at OpenAI and former AI leader at Tesla. It represents a new approach to software development, using AI to streamline coding processes. Introduced in an X post on February 2, 2025, Karpathy described it as “a new kind of coding where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.”

The concept emerged from Karpathy’s observation of the capabilities of modern LLMs, such as Cursor Composer with Sonnet, which can generate code from natural language prompts. His X post highlighted a casual, intuitive interaction with AI, where he mentioned, "I just talk to Composer with SuperWhisper so I barely even touch the keyboard. I ask for the dumbest things like ‘decrease the padding on the sidebar by half’vibe because I'm too lazy to find it." This approach positions vibe coding as an AI-dependent practice where programmers describe problems in a few sentences, and the AI handles the rest.

So what if we transferred the concept of vibe coding to PR and communications? What would this “vibework” approach look like?

Understanding Vibe Comms: A Human-AI Partnership ??

The key insight from "vibework" is that expertise redistribution — not elimination — defines this new paradigm. Communications professionals must develop a different kind of mastery:

The Vibe Comms Workflow: Human Direction + AI Execution ??

Professor Ethan Mollick in his latest blog post - "Speaking things into existence" - says that successful AI collaboration doesn’t eliminate the need for expertise — it just requires you to apply it differently. In Mollick’s case, he needed expert troubleshooting skills when the AI-generated game he was “vibe creating” broke, and expert judgement to evaluate research hypotheses.

In vibe comms, consider this workflow:

"Create a multi-channel campaign that positions our sustainable fashion brand 
as innovative to Gen Z audiences who care about environmental impact but 
don't want to sacrifice style. Emphasize our zero-waste manufacturing process 
and biodegradable packaging."        

The communications professional must possess (in the words of Ethan Mollick) "minimum viable knowledge" across multiple domains:

1. Define Strategic Parameters - Apply deep industry knowledge to identify appropriate audience segments, competitive positioning, and messaging priorities
2. Generate Content Options - Direct AI with specific prompts based on campaign strategy and brand voice guidelines
3. Review & Refine - Critically evaluate AI outputs for accuracy, brand consistency, regulatory compliance, and strategic alignment
4. Deploy & Analyze - Apply analytical expertise to interpret performance metrics in context
5. Iterate & Optimize - Use strategic judgment to guide refinements that advance business objectives

Evolution of Communications Roles: From Creator to Expert Guide ??

As Professor Mollick's experience in ", communications professionals must shift from pure creation to strategic guidance:

From: Communications Content Creator

• Creates content from scratch
• Manages individual platform tactics
• Focuses on execution and deliverables

To: Communications Intelligence Director

• Applies specialised knowledge to guide AI systems
• Evaluates outputs through multiple expert lenses (brand, legal, strategic)
• Identifies gaps in AI-generated content that only human expertise can fill

As Mollick notes: "vibecoding isn't about eliminating expertise but redistributing it - from writing every line of code to knowing enough about systems to guide, troubleshoot, and evaluate."

The same applies to communications. Just as Mollick found that AI sometimes "proposed statistically valid approaches that I, with my knowledge of the data, knew would not be appropriate," communications professionals must apply their expertise to prevent sophisticated-sounding but strategically flawed content from reaching audiences.

Expert-Guided Applications of Vibe Comms ??

As with vibe coding, different levels of human expertise are needed for different AI tasks (from simple content creation to complex research analysis) - and these applications require varying degrees of expert guidance:

1. Hyper-Personalised Stakeholder Communications

Generate personalised investor updates scaled to thousands of recipients while maintaining consistent core messaging — but with experts designing the personalisation framework, establishing guardrails, and reviewing edge cases.

2. Crisis Response Simulation & Optimisation

Test multiple response strategies in simulated environments — with communications experts evaluating subtle tone implications, legal experts reviewing compliance issues, and executives assessing alignment with company values.

3. Multi-Channel Campaign Orchestration

Create coordinated messaging across platforms — with human experts verifying platform-specific nuances that AI might miss and ensuring regulatory compliance across jurisdictions.

4. Real-Time Content Adaptation

Deploy systems that adjust messaging based on engagement metrics — but with human oversight to prevent algorithmic reinforcement of problematic content patterns.

5. Niche Audience Communication

Develop targeted content for previously unreachable micro-segments — with subject matter experts validating factual accuracy and cultural sensitivity experts reviewing for appropriateness.

Essential Human Expertise for Navigating Challenges ??

AI collaboration in the form of vibe comms introduces new challenges that require specific human expertise:

Technical & Practical Challenges Requiring Human Mastery

• Message Authenticity - Only humans can truly judge whether content authentically represents organisational voice and values
• Troubleshooting Communications Issues - Like Professor Mollick who spent $8 fixing AI-generated game bugs, communications experts must develop specialised skills to identify and fix subtle messaging problems
• Quality Control at Scale - Developing expertise in sampling methodologies and risk assessment to maintain oversight when volume increases exponentially
• Minimum Viable Knowledge - Determining what foundational understanding is necessary to effectively guide AI systems for different communication tasks

Ethical Responsibilities That Remain Human-Centered

• Ethical Oversight - Humans must develop frameworks for responsible AI use in communications
• Accountability Systems - Organisations need clear chains of responsibility for AI-assisted communications
• Strategic Risk Assessment - Only humans can fully evaluate potential reputation impacts across complex stakeholder ecosystems
• Professional Development - Communications professionals must continuously develop new expertise in AI direction and evaluation

Early Adopters: Organizations with the Right Expertise Mix ??

Professor Mollick says, vibework is "most useful when you actually have some knowledge and don't have to rely on the AI alone." The first organisations to successfully implement vibe comms will be those with:

• Digital-native agencies with both communications expertise and technical understanding
• Hybrid teams combining traditional PR professionals with AI specialists
• Organisations with strong knowledge management that can effectively capture expert insights for AI guidance
• Companies with robust review processes that can maintain quality while increasing volume
• Businesses with clear brand guidelines that provide specific parameters for AI systems

Like Professor Mollick who used AI to accelerate academic research while applying his domain expertise, these early adopters will succeed by understanding exactly where human judgement remains essential.

Developing the Expertise Required for Vibe Comms ??

Communications professionals should focus on building the specific expertise needed for this new paradigm:

Essential Skills to Develop:

1. AI Direction Expertise - Learn to craft effective prompts that guide AI toward strategic communications goals
2. Critical Evaluation - Develop the ability to quickly identify subtle issues in AI-generated content that could damage brand reputation
3. Expert Troubleshooting - Build skills to diagnose and fix problems when AI systems produce inappropriate content
4. Strategic Judgment - Strengthen your ability to determine which communications tasks benefit from AI and which require traditional approaches
5. Outcome Measurement - Master techniques for evaluating whether AI-assisted communications achieve strategic objectives

We need to effectively collaborate with AI. For communications professionals, this means maintaining deep expertise in audience psychology, brand strategy, and ethical considerations while developing new skills in AI direction.

The Future: Expertise Redistribution, Not Elimination ??

AI tools don't eliminate the need for expertise—they change how it's applied. The future communications landscape will feature:

• New areas of specialisation in AI-human collaboration for communications
• More sophisticated strategic work as AI handles routine content creation
• Higher expectations for communications professionals to demonstrate unique human value
• Expertise-centered differentiation between organisations using similar AI tools

As Professor Mollick noted about his research experience: "I never had to write a line of code, but only because I knew enough to check the results and confirm that everything made sense... there were many places where the AI did not yet have the 'instincts' to solve problems properly."

The same principle applies to vibe comms. Organisations that invest in developing communications experts with both traditional knowledge and AI direction skills will dramatically outperform those attempting to rely on AI alone.

Strategic Priorities for the Vibe Comms Era ??

1. What domain expertise must your team maintain to effectively direct and evaluate AI systems?
2. How will you identify when AI-generated communications might appear correct but contain subtle strategic flaws?
3. What processes will you establish for troubleshooting when AI communications go wrong?
4. How will you balance the efficiency gains of AI with the need for authentic human connection?
5. What expertise development plan will ensure your team stays ahead of AI capabilities rather than being replaced by them?

The Expert-Guided Communications Evolution ??

As Professor Mollick emphasises: "The AI is far from being able to work alone, humans still provide both vibe and work in the world of vibework." This perfectly captures the future of communications.

Vibe comms represents not just technological innovation but a fundamental redistribution of expertise — from content creation to strategic guidance, quality assessment, and ethical oversight. The most successful communications experts won’t be those who simply adopt AI tools, but those who develop the specialised knowledge necessary to direct these systems toward strategic outcomes.

Rather than viewing AI as a replacement, forward-thinking organisations will see it as an amplifier of human expertise—making human judgement, domain knowledge, and ethical oversight more valuable than ever.

How are you developing the expertise needed for effective AI collaboration in communications? What challenges have you encountered when balancing AI efficiency with human judgement? Let me know in the comments below.

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AI content declaration: The following AI tools were used to assist in creating this article - Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental (image creation).