The Future of Earned Storytelling

Will AI Take the “R” Out of “PR”?

Imagine a future where PR people craft story angles and press kits entirely with AI, pitched to AI journalists who wield AI algorithms for targeting and rely on AI automation for distribution.

When who, how and what we pitch becomes AI-driven, are there really any “relations” happening in public relations?

Who we pitch: synthetic AI journalists and social creators

I firmly believe that relationships and engagement with traditional media roles and titles will always be central to media strategy. But we are already seeing a growing movement of newsrooms “hiring” AI journalists to both write and broadcast. For example, Klara Indernach, an AI-powered virtual journalist for Germany’s Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien’s Express.de, writes 6% of its articles and drives 5.2% of total hits, autonomously detecting and writing about trending topics with human editors ensuring quality control. In India, Doordarshan’s Kisan channel has an AI avatar broadcaster with an eventual goal of speaking 50 languages to increase information accessibility across the market. Meanwhile in Australia, News Corp’s AI “writer” produces 3,000 local news stories a week.

At the same time, people are increasingly turning to real or self-appointed journalists on social platforms, especially TikTok and Instagram, for information and news. One-third of adults under 30 regularly use TikTok as a news source where it’s available, a 255% increase since 2020 that has now overtaken X. The U.S. Democratic National Convention credentialed over 200 social content creators alongside traditional journalists to cover the event. And social-born media publications like MustShareNews in Singapore and The Daily Aus in Australia are growing their reach. With fewer restrictions and a digital-first mindset, this new wave of social journalists will be even more bullish on AI adoption than their traditional counterparts.

How we pitch: navigating AI- and social-disrupted newsrooms

AI will disrupt every aspect of how newsrooms operate. With 8 in 10 saying they expect an increase in the use of AI in their newsrooms either for news production or gathering, many of them are expected to adopt advanced AI tools for automated fact-checking, real-time translation and data visualization, along with AI-powered investigative journalism.

Generative AI is set to play a crucial role in the reporting process, including the move towards personalized news content tailored to individual preferences. This shift will enable journalists to transition from a broad one-to-many distribution approach to a more customized one-to-one format.

In tandem, 70% of surveyed news publishers globally have expressed concern that AI will have a negative impact on trust in news. As the challenge to maintain public confidence in media intensifies, PR professionals need to be conscious that every news organization will be grappling with how to disclose AI’s role in their work and looking for ways to craft high-quality, independent journalism to safeguard trust.

What we pitch: AI-generated content media kits

Publications are combatting growing news avoidance and fatigue by crafting everything from owned podcasts, video series, TikTok accounts, e-newsletters and radio stations, to events, microsites and even virtual worlds using their newfound powers of AI generation and automation. For example, in 2024, 20% of publishers and media organisations report exploring more alternative platforms, with WhatsApp topping the charts as a priority for 61% of media publications.

As a result, text-heavy media kits consisting solely of media releases, fact sheets or written op-eds are no longer enough to land a story. Modern media kits will need to tap into generative AI tools to create rich multi-media packages that are more dynamic and visual than a simple press release, to satisfy the needs of the increasingly diverse ecosystem of media channels and formats.

In conclusion: The “relations” part of PR will look different as the industry rapidly evolves for the AI-led future.

Changing media consumption habits, the global network of journalists, and — most of all — the indominable influence of AI are all driving intersecting changes to the media landscape that will move the PR industry onward from the traditional media targets, pitching and storytelling that we once knew.

We must remind ourselves that although change is inevitable, how we collectively respond to this change is within our control. Embracing this change with curiosity, humility and a generosity of shared learnings will help ensure relationships remain essential as we push the work to exciting new frontiers.