What PR looks like in the era of AI
Forget the unicorn myth. The roles that matter now are hybrid: part Research, part analytics, part product development. PR reinvents itself every few years - social changed strategy, data changed measurement, and AI is changing how we work. The job is to operate in the spaces the industry hasn't fully defined yet.
The hybrid advantage
Leaders expect AI to reshape workflows, yet many teams lack adaptability and cross-disciplinary range. That gap creates room for hybrid roles to lead. Recent USC Annenberg research points to this exact tension - expectations are high, readiness is mixed.
As Matt Groch, global managing director of technology architecture at FleishmanHillard, put it: "There are a lot of people out there running around trying to play with technology and use it for day-to-day PR comms work. What I'm trying to focus on are the big-picture questions that would have an impact across clients, across sectors, across practices."
What won't be replaced
The fundamentals don't change. AI is a set of tools that help you think critically and creatively so you can solve real problems faster and better.
Ephraim Cohen, global head of data and digital at FleishmanHillard, keeps the focus clear: "True deep subject matter expertise combined with client counseling skills - that's what never gets replaced."
He adds a simple rule: "It's like Social Media. You want to know the basics of how it works, then develop expertise in how to use it for your specific challenges." Random tinkering is noise. Strategic experimenting moves the work forward.
Back to basics
John Gillooly, senior vice president at TRUE Global Intelligence, offered the reminder teams need: "Stay curious. Carve out time to try to solve a problem that's dragging you down. The root skill is problem-solving and thinking through questions, and that hasn't changed in the past 10 years."
What's different now
Access. Early-career pros are expected to learn in real time, spot where AI adds value, and apply it with purpose. That's the new baseline.
According to EJ Kim, global managing director for TRUE Global Intelligence, "there is a big role that humans are playing in the midst of AI everywhere … We are driving AI, not the other way around. The world is clearly evolving, so we as people will as well."
A practical playbook for PR teams
- Start with one pain point that slows your work (monitoring, briefs, coverage analysis) and define what "better" looks like in numbers.
- Run a 2-4 week pilot with a clear owner, a checklist, and a success metric (time saved, quality score, error rate).
- Set guardrails: data privacy rules, disclosure standards, human review, and an approval path for client-facing outputs.
- Pair AI with subject-matter experts. Analysts structure inputs, SMEs stress-test outputs, account leads turn it into counsel.
- Instrument everything. Track prompts, versions, wins, misses, and feed lessons back into a team playbook.
- Upskill cross-functionally. Train writers on data basics, analysts on briefs and tone, and everyone on prompt craft. If you need a structured path, explore role-based learning here: Complete AI Training - courses by job.
The career path that's emerging
Hybrid roles are a signal. Organizations investing in people who can operate across research, analytics, tech, and counsel are moving faster, thinking differently, and delivering stronger outcomes.
The leaders to watch adopt technology intentionally and keep the center of gravity where it belongs: strategy, expertise, and client impact. Unicorns aren't real. Useful hybrids are - and they're building the next era of PR right now.
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