The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Public Relations

During my work experience week with The Marketing Pod, it became apparent that artificial intelligence (AI) is a frequent topic of conversation in the office. This is hardly surprising given the rapid rise and adoption of AI, which is changing the way we live and work. Chat-GPT was able to hit 1 million users in just 5 days, a feat that took Facebook 10 months. The Podsters are always engaging with the latest developments in AI and speculating on its impact in the marketing sector. One of their PR Specialists, Claire Fitzgerald, recently attended an AI masterclass in London run by PRmoment to understand how AI will change marketing. 

Claire very generously spent time with those of us on placement and internships to share her learnings. Here are some of the key takeaways from my conversation with Claire:

AI’s ability to emulate humans is improving daily 

While there is no replacement for real human interaction, AI is increasingly improving its ability to emulate human behaviours. AI is in the WORST state it ever will be today. It will only get better and we will have to keep up with those improvements. 

AI is transforming all professions

Every organisation is going to have to adapt to AI to stay competitive. The way that we work will have to change to better utilise both our time and AI to maintain a competitive edge. This could mean reskilling and investing in our employees, and knowing which tasks you can and cannot delegate to AI. 

We need to learn by doing 

We’re at the dawn of AI so applying cautious common sense, especially with data security is critical. But if agencies do not engage with AI and new technology, they risk falling behind their competitors. After all, at The Marketing Pod, the team is “Bold, Brave, and Curious”. They are dedicated to embracing new technology and seeking to make the best use of it. As Claire says, ‘it would be silly to stick our heads in the sand. AI is here to stay, so we had better learn how to work with it!’.

AI has the potential to help us understand clients and prospects.

When we place useful inputs into GPTs (generative pre-trained transformers) AI can help us sort through data at a much quicker rate than before. This can help us to tailor our recommendations to a particular client based on past interactions. AI can also assess prospects by analysing market data rapidly. However, it’s vital to use GPTs that are built specifically for the agency, so that we know data is protected. 

In the future, PR teams may reduce in size 

As a student, I was particularly interested in this observation. Junior positions will be most at risk for AI. This will not surprise many. The challenge will be responding to that risk by investing in upskilling or retraining employees so that they know how to work with the new tools and technology available. They can then be used to boost productivity rather than replace people.

The prevailing attitude is that AI is an incredibly useful tool. 

The rapid uptake of AI is evidence of how valuable a tool it is. In the UK 68% of large companies, 33% of medium-sized companies, and 15% of small companies have incorporated at least one AI technology. This number will only increase for the foreseeable future. 

So, what does this mean for The Marketing Pod?

The team already uses some AI tools to complete day to day tasks, for example Semrush and Gemini. The web development team also relies on tools to reduce repetitive tasks, empowering them to be more innovative in their work. The Pod plans to continue to learn and evolve as the technology does, but the agency will always take a cautious approach. The most important thing is to be completely transparent with clients about the use of AI and how it can add value to the services they get.

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