PR is split on AI: confidence in quick wins, caution on disruption
New data from Onclusive's PR, Comms & Marketing 2026 Outlook shows a clear divide. While 41% of PR practitioners don't expect AI to drastically change their own role in the year ahead, 28% believe the industry is underestimating its broader impact.
The result: a sector optimistic about immediate efficiencies, yet wary of longer-term disruption. Practical adoption is up, but governance and ethics lag behind.
Agencies vs. in-house: different bets on AI
In-house teams are more likely to say the industry is underestimating AI's disruptive potential (30% vs. 25% of agency respondents). That signals higher caution inside corporate teams, where risk and compliance pressures often run deeper.
Meanwhile, 41% of agency practitioners expect AI to free time for more strategic advisory work. Only 26% of in-house communicators share that view, suggesting agencies see AI as leverage to move up the value chain faster than their clients.
Where AI delivers now
- Content production for speed and volume
- Translation and localisation to scale reach
- Measurement enhancement for faster insight and reporting
These are pragmatic, workload-reducing wins. They lift productivity without rewriting job descriptions.
The blind spots
Ethics and oversight remain low on the agenda: only 10% of in-house professionals and 14% of agencies expect ethics to significantly affect their role in 2026. That's a gap as usage grows.
- Accuracy and bias: who checks output before it reaches media, stakeholders, or customers?
- Disclosure: when do clients and journalists need to know AI was involved?
- Data handling: are drafts, briefs, or sensitive information protected from model training or leakage?
What leaders should do next
- Run a 60-day AI audit: map recurring tasks, select 2-3 use cases, define success metrics, and set review checkpoints.
- Build a lightweight policy: approved tools, human-in-the-loop review, disclosure rules, source verification, and data controls.
- Level up measurement: use AI to speed analysis, but lock in human validation for narrative and context.
- Upskill the team: prompt quality, fact-checking workflows, and scenario-based ethics training.
- Redesign client value: productise strategic advisory powered by AI-assisted research and insight sprints.
Why the split matters
If you bet only on short-term efficiency, you risk being outpaced when AI reshapes budgets, team structures, and client expectations. If you focus only on disruption, you leave easy wins on the table and hurt margins.
The smart move is both: bank the quick wins now and build guardrails for what's coming.
Jennifer Roberts, Chief Marketing Officer at Onclusive, said: "Our research shows the PR industry is torn on whether AI is a friend or foe. Many practitioners are moving beyond experimentation into everyday use, taking a pragmatic approach that prioritises efficiency gains. Yet even as AI delivers clear benefits in day-to-day roles, its disruptive potential still casts a shadow over the sector. What's certain is that PR cannot afford to sit back and wait. Whether you're an AI evangelist or a skeptic, the industry must engage with this technology - not only to use it effectively, but to ensure it is applied ethically."
Useful resources
- Onclusive: PR, Comms & Marketing 2026 Outlook
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework
- AI courses by job role (PR, marketing, comms)
Bottom line
AI is already useful for production and measurement. The edge goes to teams that pair those gains with clear ethics, tighter review loops, and a plan to shift into higher-value advisory as the tech matures.
