…but why decades of experience is needed too
There was a time, I imagine, when PR meant phone calls, press clippings, and long lunches in Soho cafés. I say “I imagine” becasue, being in my first year in the industry, I wasn’t there in the good old days. But as the youngster, I’m polarised to how algorithms can analyse audience sentiment before you’ve even drafted your pitch. And although artificial intelligence isn’t replacing those media lunches and phone calls, it’s certainly changing how we work.
Let’s start with the obvious. When it comes to content, AI tools can help draft press releases, craft copy, and even assist with initial campaign ideas at ten times the speed of mere humans. Yet, words alone don’t make stories resonate. It’s the human touch, wit, empathy, and context which transforms copy into connection. Technology has increased the pace of PR, but not its purpose. AI enhances how we plan, and act, but the art of storytelling, persuasion, and trust will always belong to people.
AI is also changing how we listen. PRs now have sharper tools for media monitoring and insight. Where a team once spent hours tracking coverage and sentiment, intelligent systems can now scan thousands of mentions in seconds. The result? Real-time awareness of what’s being said about a brand or person and the ability to respond faster, smarter, and with more precision during a crisis.
It’s also reshaping how stories are built. AI can identify trending topics, audience behaviour, and potential media opportunities before they hit the headlines. But while data reveals the “what,” it’s only decades of experience that find the “why.” The creativity, timing, and emotional intelligence behind a successful campaign can’t be automated, they come from the necessary experience and relationships.
I’ve left perhaps the most interesting until last. Another fascinating shift comes with AI-driven zero-click searches: when audiences get the answer directly from search results or AI summaries, without ever visiting a site. For PR, this means visibility itself becomes the new KPI. If your message, quote, or brand name appears in those AI-generated snippets, you’ve already won attention before the click. In other words, reputation and relevance are now measurable at the search level, a new frontier for PR strategy.
At Keith Bishop PR, we’re embracing AI to stay at the cutting-edge, but we’ll always understand that the best PR is powered by people with decades of expertise.