If PR professionals don't learn how to influence AI, they may find themselves in a world where their message is drowned out by machines.
It’s a stark reality looming ahead… The rules of PR are shifting fast, and AI is at the centre of this change. People are increasingly turning to AI systems like large language models (LLMs) for news and information. The future is now, it’s no longer about convincing journalists or placing articles. It’s about training the AI that distributes the information. But how do we ensure that PR professionals remain relevant in a world where AI increasingly decides what is newsworthy?
Let’s explore the emerging dynamics of this AI-driven future and what it means for the future of PR.
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The Challenge of AI as an Information Gateway
AI-powered systems are becoming the first place people turn for information. Whether it’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or Apple’s Siri, these systems are moving beyond giving weather updates and sports scores. They are increasingly becoming trusted sources for complex queries, pulling information from vast amounts of content across the web. This has some significant consequences for the PR world. One major question now looms over the profession: how do we get AI to tell our story?
Historically, PR has been about relationships. Media professionals have relied on nurturing human connections with editors, influencers, and journalists to push their messaging forward. But how do you build a relationship with an algorithm? More importantly, how do you ensure that your brand’s message is part of the vast sea of content AI is pulling from?
PR’s New Audience: The Algorithms
As the role of AI grows, influencing LLMs is becoming a new frontier in PR. PR professionals are now forced to consider how to contribute to the corpus of knowledge from which AI tools generate their answers. And, just as SEO once forced marketers to understand how search engines rank content, PR must now grapple with how AI systems rank and synthesise information.
This requires a shift in thinking. PR professionals can no longer rely solely on getting human attention. They also need to get machine attention.
Think of it this way: your content is no longer for the end consumer first. It’s for the machines. AI systems are consuming enormous volumes of data. And while quantity matters, quality and trustworthiness are critical too. PR professionals need to be thinking about how to flood the web with trustworthy, credible content that AIs will favour.
Actionable Steps to Influence AI in PR
So, how do PR professionals adapt to this new reality? Here are some actionable strategies to help shape your PR efforts in an AI-driven world.
1. Double Down on Credible, Authoritative Content
The first, and perhaps most important, strategy is to focus on producing content that the AI systems will deem credible. Much like Google’s ranking algorithms, AI will prioritise content from authoritative sources. This is why PR professionals need to continue placing emphasis on trusted media outlets and well-established platforms.
To position a brand or client effectively, it’s essential to establish a steady stream of content across these platforms. Media coverage in trusted outlets carries weight, not only for human readers but for AI systems too. Research papers, white papers, and industry reports from respected publications will likely become AI’s go-to sources for reliable information.
2. Own Your Digital Footprint
Just like SEO optimises websites for search engines, PR professionals must optimise their brand’s digital presence for AI. Owned media—such as blogs, social media platforms, and corporate websites—are more important than ever. These need to be credible, well-trafficked, and consistently updated.
By owning your digital real estate and flooding the web with high-quality content that ties back to your brand, you improve the chances that AI systems will recognise your brand as a trusted source of information. Consistency is key. When AI looks for patterns, your brand needs to stand out.
3. Create Data-Driven PR Strategies
AI thrives on patterns, and PR professionals need to create data-driven strategies to capitalise on this. Data has always been important in PR, but now it takes on new significance. The quantity of data, combined with its relevance and timeliness, is critical.
Make data a cornerstone of your PR campaigns. Incorporate metrics and statistics into press releases, reports, and thought leadership pieces. AI systems are more likely to trust content that is rich in verifiable data. Providing hard facts alongside your messaging can ensure AI models will include your content in their answers.
4. Explore AI-Specific Content Opportunities
It’s not enough to create great content; you also need to ensure it’s being consumed by the systems that matter. AI learns by consuming massive amounts of data, and the systems that are training these AI models often pull from very specific sources. Reddit, Wikipedia, and Google’s Knowledge Graph, for instance, are all data sets that are commonly used to train LLMs.
PR professionals need to explore these new content ecosystems. Engage with Wikipedia pages relevant to your brand and industry. Contribute to forums and discussions on high-traffic platforms. By participating in these environments, you can help feed AI models the information they’ll later regurgitate to users.
5. Monitor and Manage Your Brand’s AI Footprint
As AI takes over more of the information landscape, PR pros will need to start monitoring how their brands are represented in AI-generated content. This will require new tools and technologies capable of auditing AI answers, much like companies monitor their SEO ranking.
Brands should begin investing in AI auditing tools or develop relationships with AI experts who can help track how AI models are referencing their content. This is especially important for reputation management, as AI-generated answers could potentially distribute outdated, misleading, or damaging information about your brand.
6. Embrace Transparency and Authenticity
In a world flooded with misinformation, authenticity and transparency will be more important than ever. AI systems will be increasingly tuned to filter out dubious or unverifiable content, so PR professionals must focus on crafting messaging that is both transparent and reliable.
Brands that invest in transparency will stand out as trustworthy in the sea of AI-generated content. This means being open about your sources, being clear with your messaging, and avoiding the kind of content that could be flagged as misleading by AI systems.
7. Prepare for AI Crisis Management
Crisis management is about to get a lot more complicated. AI systems can spread misinformation rapidly, and they are vulnerable to manipulation by bad actors. PR professionals will need to be prepared to handle AI-driven crises.
If incorrect information about your brand starts circulating, AI systems could pick it up and propagate it. Having a crisis management strategy in place that addresses both traditional and AI-driven channels will be crucial. When addressing a PR crisis, speed will be key. If AI pulls from incorrect data, your team will need to flood the web with corrections as quickly as possible.
A New PR Paradigm
The future of PR in an AI-driven world is about more than mastering traditional media relations; it’s about mastering the machines. The rise of AI means PR professionals must learn to think like data scientists and tech experts, while still holding onto the core skills of storytelling and relationship-building that have always been central to the profession.
But there’s good news. In an era of fake news and overwhelming amounts of content, PR professionals are well-positioned to ensure that truthful, reliable, and credible stories are told. By learning to influence AI, you’re not just playing the game; you’re helping write the rules.
PR will evolve. The professionals who stay ahead will be the ones who learn to master AI-driven content, use data to inform their strategies, and build relationships with the algorithms—just as they have with journalists for decades. Ready or not, AI is here to stay.
