AI in Public Relations: State of Affairs January 2024
Methodology Overview: A comprehensive survey conducted from November 2 to December 14, 2023, involving 1,001 PR professionals aimed to explore the integration and impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the public relations (PR) sector.
Executive Summary:
- Rapid Adoption: AI use in PR has seen a significant surge, doubling from 28% in March to 64% in November 2023.
- Misalignment on Disclosure: There's a notable discrepancy between the expectations of brands and agencies regarding the disclosure of AI use; 21% of agency professionals claim never to disclose AI use, whereas only 6% of brand professionals advocate for such transparency.
- Enhanced Work Quality and Efficiency: Overwhelmingly, PR professionals (74%) report an improvement in work quality with AI, and 89% note faster project completion times.
- Editing Practice: Despite AI-generated outputs being perceived as a risk by 63% of users, 95% confirm they regularly edit these outputs.
- Popular Use Cases: Writing social media content is the most favored application of AI among PR professionals.
Key Findings:
1. AI Usage in PR Workflows
- Increased Adoption: The number of PR professionals using generative AI more than doubled from 28% in March 2023 to 64% in November 2023.
- Policy Implementation: The majority of PR professionals (50%) lack an AI use case policy within their companies, with only 22% reporting ongoing policy development.
2. Current AI Application
- Quality and Efficiency Impact: PR professionals overwhelmingly agree that AI improves work quality (74%) and reduces project completion time (89%).
- Editing Practice: Almost all users (95%) edit AI-generated content, with most (61%) making extensive edits.
3. Future AI Exploration and Concerns
- Future Impact Expectations: Those considering AI use are less optimistic about its impact on work speed and quality compared to current AI users.
- Main Risks Identified: Key concerns include the potential for younger professionals to over-rely on AI tools, unscrutinized AI output lowering conversation quality, and the perception that AI may undermine the need for content creators.
4. Barriers to AI Adoption
- Diverse Reasons for Avoidance: Reasons for not exploring AI include unpredictability of outputs, privacy concerns, the belief that AI won't benefit their job, skepticism about AI trends, lack of time, and unfamiliarity with AI tools.
Platform Highlight: Muck Rack's Public Relations Management (PRM) platform supports PR teams in identifying suitable journalists, crafting tailored pitches, fostering media relationships, monitoring news coverage, and quantifying campaign impacts.
