In 2025, AI is no longer a fringe tool reserved for the tech world. It’s embedded in the workflows of PR teams for tasks including drafting and editing press releases, taking meeting notes, tracking media coverage, creating media lists, and analyzing public sentiment. Used thoughtfully, AI has the power to make communications faster, smarter, and more strategic. But without careful boundaries, it can also dilute brand voice, erode trust, or introduce bias. Another major concern is the possibility of uploading sensitive client information to a Large Language Model (LLM), like ChatGPT, which could then be used to further train the tool—and potentially leak private information to the public.
So how can communicators embrace the efficiencies of AI while protecting the creativity, ethics, and nuance that PR requires?
Where AI Is Making the Biggest Impact in PR
AI has the possibility to support one of the greatest challenges PR professionals face every day: having the time to get deliverables done. Balancing various content and analytics requests, staying on top of the news, and— let’s be real here —managing our inboxes can be difficult, but there is immense opportunity to use AI tools as a support system.
Researching
Digging up background for pitches, campaigns, or strategy work is essential, but incredibly time-consuming. AI can help speed things up by summarizing articles, pulling key points from reports, surfacing relevant coverage with a quick prompt, and competitor research to stay on top of what clients’ competitors are up to. Whether you’re prepping for a client meeting, scanning for story angles, or trying to make sense of a fast-moving topic, AI tools can help you get there faster. Instead of jumping between tabs and skimming a dozen sources, you can get a solid foundation in seconds, leaving more time to focus on what matters: telling the story.
Content Drafting
AI tools are speeding up the content creation process by drafting first passes of press releases, pitches, social copy, and even blog outlines. While these drafts aren’t perfect, they provide a helpful starting point for PR professionals to edit and flesh out.
Media Monitoring & Sentiment Analysis
Gone are the days of manually combing through headlines. AI can scan thousands of articles and social posts in seconds, flagging brand mentions, tracking tone, and uncovering emerging issues, giving PR teams a real-time pulse on reputation. It can also serve as a tool to get a sense of conversations about the different trends and topics PR professionals follow. Rather than having to go to various news outlets to find the best stories, a simple search on an AI tool can round up the most relevant articles in seconds.
Best Practices for Integrating AI Into Your PR Workflow
While AI can be a helpful tool, it can’t fully replicate the human touch that is necessary in PR (at least, it can’t yet). It’s like using a GPS when driving to a new place, while you would still likely be able to get to your destination without it, using it makes your journey quicker and more efficient. AI works best in PR when it complements human creativity and works with your team, rather than replacing it.
Audit Your Workflow
First, ask yourself: where is your team losing time to repetitive work? Meeting preparation? Building media lists? Compiling reports? The answers to this question are great places to test AI’s value. Identifying these tasks and implementing AI solutions creates more time for your team to do the work that really moves the needle—like relationship-building, strategic storytelling, campaign creation—that AI can’t support as well.
Use AI as a First Draft, Not a Final Say
Let AI take the first swing at writing press releases, pitches, or social content, especially when you’re short on time or inspiration. But don’t treat its output as finished work. Review everything with a critical eye—check facts, refine the voice, and make sure it aligns with your messaging and values. AI can write, but it doesn’t always add the nuance that a PR professional can.
One of the ways I personally like to use AI is to support writing outlines—as I did for this blog! It helps me organize my thoughts on a topic, and I can go back and forth with the system to refine it. Once I start drafting, I’ll also use AI to help edit parts of my writing that I want to rework. It isn’t replacing my writing, but it’s definitely helping me do it faster and make it stronger.
Keep It Transparent
If you’re using AI tools in your workflow, don’t treat it like a secret (i.e., see my own disclosure above). Be clear with your team, clients, and stakeholders about when and how AI is being used, whether that’s for drafting content, pulling media insights, or summarizing reports. Transparency builds trust, especially when you’re handling sensitive issues, representing real people, or shaping a brand’s public image.
You don’t need to explain every tool used in detail, but a simple acknowledgment that AI is part of the process, and that human oversight is always in place, can go a long way. People want to know that thoughtful judgment, not just automation, is guiding the final product. By being upfront, you reinforce credibility and create space for smarter conversations about how and when to lean on AI in the work we do.
Guidelines for Ethical AI Use in PR
As AI becomes more powerful and accessible, it’s critical to set clear boundaries around how it’s used in our work. These tools are impressive—but they’re not infallible. Without proper guardrails, AI can easily compromise accuracy, privacy, or equity. The responsibility lies with us to ensure we’re using this technology with care, transparency, and integrity.
Fact-Check Everything
AI tools are great at generating content quickly—but they’re not always reliable when it comes to the facts. It’s common for AI to “hallucinate,” filling in details that sound convincing but are entirely made up. This happened recently when an AI-generated summer reading list included 10 made up books (on a list of 15 total). Hallucinations can also take the form of inventing a source, misquoting a statistic, or pulling outdated information. If you’re using AI to draft content, always review the output with a critical eye. Double-check any facts, links, or names it includes before sharing anything externally. A well-written message that’s incorrect can do more harm than good.
Respect Data Privacy
It can be tempting to drop client notes, internal docs, or sensitive information into an AI tool to “clean up” or summarize. But unless you’re using a platform that’s specifically built to handle confidential data (and governed by clear privacy policies), don’t do it. Public or consumer-facing tools often retain or learn from the information you enter. Regular ChatGPT, for example, uses data input to train its model and that can put your clients or organization at risk. Being mindful of what information you put into LLMs is a necessity.
Watch for Bias
AI is only as objective as the data it’s trained on—which means it can reinforce bias, even unintentionally. If the underlying data reflects stereotypes or inequities, the content AI produces might too. Don’t assume the tool got it right. Instead, read with a critical lens and apply the same inclusive, thoughtful standards you would to anything written by a person.
The Future of PR Is Predictive, but Still Human
Looking ahead, AI will continue to evolve, maybe even going from a helpful assistant to a strategic advisor. We’re already seeing tools in the works that can predict a reporter’s likelihood to bite at a story, flag crises in real time, automatically tailor messaging to different audiences, and more.
It’s easy to get swept up in what AI can do and these tools are definitely changing the game. But here’s the thing: none of it replaces the heart of PR.
AI can analyze. It can assist. It can recommend. But it can’t listen to a client’s concerns expressed on a call. It can’t adjust a pitch on the fly based on a reporter’s tone. And it certainly can’t build the kind of trust that turns a good story into a lasting relationship.
At its core, public relations is about people. It’s about understanding nuance, showing empathy, and telling stories that resonate—not just because they’re well-timed, but because they’re real. That’s where human communicators will always lead. As we bring AI further into our work, let’s make sure we’re using it not to replace the art of PR, but to make more room for it.
