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The apprehension about AI felt by communications pros is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, according to a new study conducted by WE Communications in collaboration with USC Annenberg’s Center for Public Relations.
More than seven in 10 (71 percent) of the more than 600 communications pros surveyed for the study said that they think advances in AI will be “extremely or very important” to the future of PR work, with only eight percent thinking that AI’s influence will show itself to be “slightly or not at all important.”
Perhaps even more important, a considerable number of respondents said that they do not think that the rise of AI will threaten their status in the workplace. Frequent users of AI were 93 percent more likely to say that they feel more valued for the work they do a result of their AI use.
That’s just part of the growing enthusiasm for AI the study found. Out of the 66 percent of respondents who said they use AI frequently, 95 percent said they have a positive outlook on AI. In addition, 70 percent believe that AI helps them produce better work and 73 percent said AI allows them to work more quickly.
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Several concerns about AI’s potential flaws also appear to be fading. Respondents were 27 percent less concerned about factual errors and misinformation, while fears of disinformation were down 25 percent. Concerns about algorithmic bias dropped by 44 percent, those about algorithmic transparency were down 36 percent.
When it comes to the areas in which AI is impacting day-to-day work, content creation (emails, press releases, etc,) tops the list, cited by 54 percent of respondents. Coming in next was data analysis (40 percent) and background/landscape research (37 percent). Areas where AI’s presence has ample room to grow included coverage reporting (20 percent) and measuring PR impact (16 percent).
However, to make optimal use of AI, most respondents say they could use additional training. Almost three quarters (73 percent) would like for their companies to offer more training opportunities.
The biggest challenge those surveyed said they face is simply dealing with the fast pace of change in the world of AI. While 73 percent say they’re more knowledgeable about AI tools than they were a year ago, 64 percent noted the difficulty involved in keeping up with “the constant influx of new AI tools, technological updates and regulatory news.”
The repost also highlights the major role that senior leaders can play in the development of AI in the communications field. “Our joint research uncovered a powerful trend: AI activation surges when senior leaders champion the adoption of AI,” noted USC Center of Public Relations director Fred Cook.
The results of the “Energized by AI” study are a central part of the 2025 USC Center for Public Relations Relevance Report, which also includes more than 40 essays on the state of AI from Microsoft communicators, USC trustees and faculty and board members of the Annenberg Center.
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