PRCA establishes AI working group to address industry challenges
The Public Relations and Communications Association has created an Innovation Working Group to help agencies manage artificial intelligence's effects on operations, measurement, and client work. The group held its first summit in London on 6 May 2026, bringing together leaders from UK and international PR firms.
The move follows the PRCA's publication of an Innovation Charter, which outlined specific pressures facing the sector: shifts in how agencies charge for work, the need to measure results in AI-influenced media, and growing client demand for strategic AI expertise.
Three workstreams with August deadline
The working group agreed on three initial projects, all due for completion by August 2026.
- The Commercial Model Reset will examine how automation is compressing execution timelines and squeezing traditional agency revenue structures.
- GenAI Visibility and Measurement aims to build a shared framework for measuring earned media impact in AI-affected environments.
- The Prototype Lab will assess AI and marketing technology tools available to PR professionals, identify gaps, and establish quality criteria for evaluating solutions.
The Prototype Lab addresses a practical problem: vendors launch products constantly, and claims are difficult to verify independently. The working group will create standards to help practitioners evaluate tools objectively.
Who's involved
The group includes representatives from independent agencies, global networks, and consultancy firms across the UK and international markets.
Manuel Hüttl, chair of the Innovation Working Group, said the difference between agencies that succeed and those that struggle will depend on "who moves first, builds real capability, and sets the standards before someone else sets them for us."
Sarah Waddington, PRCA CEO, said the association's role is to ensure PR professionals can "respond to that change, but to help shape it responsibly."
PR professionals looking to develop AI skills can explore AI for PR & Communications resources or consider the AI Learning Path for Public Relations Specialists.
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