Will AI take the ‘R’ out of ‘PR’?

Imagine a future where PR people are crafting story angles and pitching packages entirely with AI and to AI journalists who wield AI algorithms for targeting and rely on AI automation for distribution.

When the who, how and what we pitch becomes AI-driven, it raises the question: are there really any “relations” happening in public relations?

This may seem far off for South Africa, where AI tools and skills are still developing and where regulations regarding AI are a work in progress. However, AI is already making its mark here too. Take, for example, Shudu Gram, the world’s first digital supermodel, who has worked with top brands like Smart Car, Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Balmain.

It’s indicative of how AI is already reshaping the media landscape. What does all this mean for PR professionals?

Who we pitch: synthetic AI journalists and social creators

I firmly believe that relationships and engagement with traditional media roles and titles will always be central to media strategy. But we are already seeing a growing movement globally of newsrooms “hiring” AI journalists to both write and broadcast. For example, Klara Indernach, an AI-powered virtual journalist for Germany’s Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien's Express.de, writes 6% of its articles and drives 5.2% of total hits, autonomously detecting and writing about trending topics, with human editors ensuring quality control.

In India, Doordarshan's Kisan channel has an AI avatar broadcaster to give vital updates to farmers in 50 languages to increase information accessibility across the market. Meanwhile in Australia, Newscorp’s AI “writer” produces 3,000 local news stories a week.

While most newsrooms in South Africa haven't yet fully embraced AI tools in their daily routines, a study from the Durban University of Technology shows that individual journalists are already using AI tools like ChatGPT, Otter AI and Canva AI for fact-checking, brainstorming story ideas, transcription and research. Local journalists see AI as a valuable tool to save time, allowing them to concentrate on the more crucial aspects of journalism, especially in fast-paced newsroom settings.

According to the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef), the number of journalists in the country has dropped significantly from about 15,000 in 2009 to fewer than 4,500 today. This is placing growing pressure on news teams, which will inevitably encourage them to seek ways of driving efficiencies.

At the same time, everyday people in South Africa are increasingly turning to self-appointed journalists on social platforms for information and news. A recent survey by the Competition Commission's Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry revealed that a high majority of South Africans get their news primarily through social media. Among those people Facebook is the top choice for 84%, while TikTok (47%), WhatsApp (46%), YouTube (45%), and X at 30% also make the list.

In other countries across the world, this trend is advancing at a rapid pace. One-third of adults under the age of 30 regularly use TikTok as a news source where it’s available, a 255% increase since 2020; it  has now overtaken X. The Democratic National Convention in the US credentialled over 200 social content creators alongside traditional journalists to cover the event. And social-born media publications like Must Share News in Singapore and The Daily Aus in Australia are growing their reach. With fewer restrictions and a digital-first mindset, this new wave of social journalists will be even more bullish on AI adoption in their processes than their traditional counterparts.

How we pitch: navigating AI- and social-disrupted newsrooms

AI is set to revolutionise every aspect of newsroom operations. Generative AI, in particular, is set to play a crucial role in the evolution of news reporting, including the shift towards delivering personalised news content tailored to individual preferences. This transformation will empower journalists to move from a broad one-to-many distribution approach to a more customised one-to-one format.

Meanwhile, many South African journalists are expressing concern about the ethical complications that come with AI technologies. In fact, this sentiment aligns globally, where 70% of surveyed news publishers fear that AI will lower trust in news. As the challenge to maintain public confidence in media intensifies, PR professionals need to be aware that every news organisation will be grappling with how to disclose AI's role in their work and will be looking for ways to craft high-quality, independent journalism to safeguard trust.

What we pitch: AI-generated content media kits

Publications across the world are combatting growing news avoidance and news fatigue by crafting everything from owned podcasts, video series, TikTok accounts, e-newsletters and radio stations to events, microsites and even virtual worlds using their newfound powers of AI generation and automation. For example, in 2024, 20% of publishers and media organisations report exploring more alternative platforms, with WhatsApp topping the charts as a priority for 61% of media publications.

Community radio stations such as Zibonele FM and Bush Radio in the Western Cape are using social media apps to re-energise content and grow their listener bases well beyond the average daily listenership of community stations in the province. These stations are leveraging tools like WhatsApp voice notes to engage young listeners, allowing them to send questions directly and actively participate in content creation.

As a result, text-heavy media kits consisting solely of media releases, fact sheets or written op-eds are no longer enough to land a story. Modern media kits will need to tap into generative AI tools to create rich multimedia packages that are more dynamic and visual than a simple press release, to satisfy the needs of the increasingly diverse ecosystem of media channels and formats.

Changing media consumption habits, the global network of journalists, and most of all the indominable influence of AI are all driving intersecting changes to the media landscape that have already started moving the PR industry onward from the traditional media targets, pitching and storytelling that we once knew.

How we collectively respond to this change remains to be seen, but we do know that it requires a great deal of curiosity and generosity of shared learnings, with relationships remaining at the core as we work to exciting new frontiers. One thing is for sure, in a future where any brand can pay for attention, the role of public relations professionals and the ability to earn a media story in this shrinking and morphing media pool is more important than ever.

Sarah Gooding is MD of WE Communications.

The big take-out: The “relations” part of PR may become obsolete, but the industry will evolve for the AI-led future.

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