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| Alev de Costa |
Could AI, that thing that so many both fear and love, be earned media’s unlikely savior?
The answer is yes—but only if it’s fed the right information… The kind of information that’s best provided by seasoned PR practitioners.
Automation isn’t the enemy, it’s an editor
AI’s language processing tools prioritize “first-hand” sources when aggregating and analyzing data. That’s right: press releases, earnings reports and other brand/company-authored sources are considered more authoritative and timely, e.g, critical for accuracy. Press releases also inherently align with Google's E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles. Since the content comes directly from the source, it is seen as a highly credible and authoritative signal by AI and search algorithms.
According to a 2023 McKinsey report, up to 80 percent of AI-driven analytics tools used in finance and media rely on structured sources such as corporate filings, press releases, and regulatory disclosures.
And when AI is used in specialized tools (e.g., Bloomberg Terminal, Meltwater, AlphaSense), it often also prioritizes trade articles because they’re also considered timely and factual, are written in a consistent, structured style and are industry-authoritative. Also, in certain settings, trade content may be ranked higher or surfaced faster because it can reflect real-time market changes and influence investor or strategic decisions.
That's especially true for systems that mine for trends and market insight. Even generative AI content creation platforms like Jasper and Writer recommend feeding models with original brand content for better output fidelity.
It's in the newsroom, too
That goes back as far as 2014, when AI was used to write a breaking news article about LA earthquakes. AI now prioritizes what shows up in-feed. For example, the Washington Post uses its proprietary AI platform, Heliograf, to generate content—including coverage of U.S. elections—and deliver it selectively. Other major outlets like Reuters, AP and Forbes also use AI for earnings reports, financial recaps, and even personalized newsletters.
We can create and harness tools to help client news seamlessly flow into targeted information newstreams—and identify some of the potential outcomes and outcries.
And, then there's misinformation & machine learning
Machine learning models can flag disinformation, detect manipulated images, and identify coordinated bot activity faster than any human fact-checker. Tools like NewsGuard, Full Fact and Microsoft's Content Authenticity Initiative are being integrated with AI systems to boost trust signals and transparency.
AI can be a great tool. But, a second layer of knowledge and nuance must be applied. One that, so far, only comes from human intelligence.
Structured content is key for brands and companies in search of AI success, and traditional PR tactics, deployed by smart, seasoned PR practitioners, are once again highly valued drivers of that source material.
Just like the most successful PR people know which editors and reporters are seeking which news angles, we can influence what rises to the top of the feed by understanding the digital nuances behind how it works.
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Alev de Costa is a senior partner at FINN Partners.
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