The arrival of ChatGPT nearly two years ago was followed immediately by anxieties that artificial intelligence would replace humans in the workforce—particularly among those working in the communications sector.
But according to a new survey released by WE Communications and the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, most communicators now generally have a positive view of Generative AI and utilize the technology frequently in their daily work, claiming that AI drives their engagement efforts and allows them to produce better work more efficiently.
The survey, which sought to gauge how AI is transforming the communications landscape, found that PR pros have adopted AI by wide margins. Two-thirds (66 percent) of communicators said they now use AI frequently. Additionally, 95 percent of the communicators surveyed said they have a positive outlook on AI, with 70 percent reporting that it improves their work quality and 73 percent claiming it helps them work more quickly.
Communicators who use AI frequently are also 93 percent more likely to say they feel valued for the work they do, according to the report.
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The survey found that the most popular current uses of AI among communications professionals involve content creation (54 percent), data analysis (40 percent) and background/landscape research (37 percent). Other common AI applications include media relations (24 percent), coverage reporting (20 percent) and measuring PR impact (16 percent).
The study suggests that whatever skepticism industry pros may have once had toward AI appears to have subsided. Nearly half of communicators surveyed (44 percent) said they’re less concerned about algorithmic bias in AI now than they were in the past, and more than a third (36 percent) said they’re similarly less concerned about algorithmic transparency. More than a quarter (27 percent) also said they’re similarly less concerned about issues like factual errors and misinformation, and 25 percent said they’re less concerned about disinformation.
Familiarity with the technology may be at least somewhat responsible for this evolution in mindset: Overall, more than three-quarters of communications professionals (76 percent) said they’re more knowledgeable about AI now than they were just a year ago. And, of course, the widespread adoption of AI across the industry plays no small role in this, considering that agencies now widely encourage employees to work with AI tools. In fact, many agencies have integrated AI into their tech stacks and protocols and overall company culture. Half of respondents said they now even have AI-related performance goals, including 56 percent of those whose titles are below that of Director. However, 67 percent of those below Director-level reported having the autonomy to choose how AI supports their work.
The study also found that our waning skepticism toward AI now seems to have been followed by a similar evaporation of AI-related hype. Many PR pros seem to be waking up to the fact that the technology isn’t the panacea that some had envisioned. According to the report, half as many PR pros now think AI will remove monotony from their work compared to a prior version of the same study last year. In addition, concerns about the financial burden of AI are up 73 percent since last year.
Another barrier, it appears, is AI technology’s habit of evolving at a rapid pace. Despite being more knowledge about AI than they were a year ago, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the PR pros surveyed admitted that it’s hard to keep up with the constant influx of new AI tools, updates and regulatory changes. In fact, when asked to name their biggest challenge in working with AI, nearly half of respondents (45 percent) cited “keeping up with new developments” as their top challenge.
As a result, most of the communicators surveyed expressed a desire for continued AI training. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents said they want their agencies to offer more AI training opportunities, highlighting the need for industries that rely on AI to support continued employee education efforts if they want to leverage AI’s potential.
The report, “Energized by AI: How Technology Is Changing Communicators’ Relationship to Work,” surveyed more than 600 communications professionals in August. The survey was conducted using research company Qualtrics.
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