✅ Three-quarters of corporate communicators use AI, but do they really?
Corporate communications, public relations, media and management insight
Muck Rack published survey results last week about the adoption of AI in corporate communications and public relations practice. An AI benchmarking study of this kind is published almost every month. It’s a good way for a vendor to get the attention of practitioners, trade media and industry associations.
Three out of four public relations practitioners use generative AI at work, nearly triple the number from March 2023. 82% use AI primarily for brainstorming, while 72% use it for writing first drafts. 93% say AI speeds up their work, and 78% report it improves work quality.
The results suggest that public relations practice is undergoing a fundamental shift in adopting AI and overhauling workflow, but this is not the case. With notable exceptions, practice is still in an experimental phase and is only beginning to embed AI tools in agency and in-house workflows.
The Muck Rack survey reflects its customers and may not represent the wider industry. Respondents are likely to be tech-savvy tool users. This issue notwithstanding, practice still needs to address a range of AI challenges, such as copyright, data security and hallucination.
Indeed, Muck Rack highlights issues that are holding us back. Only 38% of companies have AI use policies (up from 21% last year), and 35% of organisations offer AI training (up from 21% last year). Agencies lead (43%) compared to in-house teams (31%).
This gap is the hard work of creating and embedding governance and breaking down agency or in-house workflow. Tools and processes need to be matched to public relations’ competencies and skills. Finally, training must be addressed so practitioners can use the tools.
Survey methods mask gap between reported and actual AI use
The MuckRack survey was distributed via its email database and is based on 1,013 respondents between November and December 2024.
Email and internet questionnaires are broad but relatively crude instruments for understanding an audience. Sample control is impossible without filtering the results for characteristics such as seniority and organisational context.
But there’s a more significant issue. The gap between social norms and private realities is an issue for a topic such as artificial intelligence. It’s the behaviour science effect that will see President Trump returned to the White House today.
Practitioners report to the norm of the community and typically optimistically. It’s why Muck Rack reports that so many practitioners are using AI, yet the actual outcomes in practice are much slower than reported.
Looking for AI implementation data? Let's talk
This week, I’m presenting a paper on these issues at the Leeds Business School Research Conference. I argue that other research methods, notably stakeholder interviews, give far more accurate and richer results.
If you want help or support with any of the subjects highlighted in this week’s newsletter, please hit reply.
Have a great week.
Management
🌍 DEI ROLLBACKS: Major companies such as Meta, McDonald's, and Walmart are scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, citing political and legal pressures. However, firms like Apple, Delta, and Costco remain committed, defending DEI as critical to business success despite growing anti-DEI activism. Source: Axios.
📊 MODEST GROWTH: The UK economy saw a modest 0.1% GDP growth in November 2024, driven by a rise in services and construction output. However, production output fell, and overall growth remained stagnant over the three months to November, reflecting ongoing economic challenges. Source: Office for National Statistics.
Industry
🤝 OMNICOM-IPG MERGER: Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group will see shareholders split ownership at 60.6% (Omnicom) and 39.4% (Interpublic), aiming for $750 million in cost savings over two years. Concerns remain about redundancies, internal focus, and the lack of a clear strategy to address challenges like advertising revenue shifts and client satisfaction risks. Source: Ged Caroll.
🎓 GRADUATES CELEBRATE SUCCESS: Socially Mobile celebrated the graduation of its ninth cohort this week. The 10-week executive education programme is leveling up management in corporate communications and public relations. If you know someone working in the UK who would benefit from either a paid or fully funded place on the programme please encourage them to apply. Source: Socially Mobile.
🗞 MEDIA SHIFT: In a departing LinkedIn post, Whitehouse communications director Ben LaBolt said that breaking through the modern media landscape requires an omnipresent approach across channels as younger audiences increasingly move away from traditional news sources. Leaders must navigate growing public distrust in institutions, rising misinformation amplified by AI, and heightened demand for transparency and immediate crisis response. Source: Ben LaBolt.
👆 PROVOKE ON 2025: The PR landscape in 2025 will demand a balanced approach, blending stakeholder management, AI adoption, and DEI commitments. With heightened political, social, and technological complexities, practitioners must prioritise nuanced communication and long-term reputation building to thrive. Source: PRovoke.
💡 PRCA STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: The PRCA has launched a member consultation on its vision, mission, values and strategic objectives. Its focus is on representing members, innovation, inclusivity, and representation, as well as promoting the economic and societal impact of public relations practice. Members have until the end of the month to share their views. Source: PRCA.
Social media
🚩 X EXODUS: Germany’s Bundesbank has joined much of the German media in leaving Twitter/X, citing the platform’s dwindling relevance. With minimal engagement from its target audience, the move underscores the platform's declining influence in key sectors. Source: X.
🖼 VISUAL WINS: Analysis of 250 public sector Facebook posts in 2025 reveals that carousel pictures lead engagement with 0.36%, followed by Reels and local single images, reinforcing the power of visual storytelling. Conversely, stock images, text posts, and GIFs rank lowest, underscoring the need for authentic, audience-focused content to optimise social media impact. Source: Dan Slee.
📝 WHATSAPP INSIGHTS WhatsApp now offers enhanced metrics like reach, growth, and followers for accounts with over 100 followers. Though still limited compared to other platforms, these tools mark progress for communicators using the UK’s most popular social media platform, which reaches 91% of adults over 18. Source: Dan Slee.
🔀 META'S MAGA PIVOT: Mark Zuckerberg's nine-day campaign to align Meta with Trumpism included key leadership changes, policy shifts on free speech, and appearances on conservative platforms. The move, praised by Trump and MAGA allies, highlights a strategic adaptation to the political climate but faces backlash from civil rights advocates and critics. Source: Axios.
Artificial intelligence
📺 AP DEAL: Google is enhancing its Gemini chatbot app by collaborating with The Associated Press to introduce a real-time news feed. This new feature aims to improve the app’s usefulness, providing up-to-date information for users, although its availability timeline and regional rollout remain unclear. Source: TechCrunch.
⚠️ AI MISSTEPS: AI hallucination is still very much a real and present risk issue. LLMs make stuff up because they're based on language pattern matching rather than computational analysis. To address these issues, governance systems must incorporate critical thinking and appropriate processes. Source: Alex Waddington.
Last week, the mid-week paid version of the newsletter looked at the issue of tensions in the corporate communications function. According to the European Communication Monitor, there are three areas of concern: geopolitical risk, artificial intelligence, and management learning and development.
Sarah Waddington CBE is a director, Wadds Inc. and interim CEO, PRCA.
Thank you to Ged Caroll, Dan Slee, Ben Lownes, Alan Morrison, Sharon O’Dea, Alex Waddington and Sarah Waddington CBE, and everyone who shares and debates the stories in the newsletter via our Facebook and LinkedIn communities.