By Monique Farmer, APR
You’ve earned your seat at the table. You’ve earned the emails at all hours, the late‑night phone calls when the message had to get out. You’ve translated a leader’s vision into words people understand. You’ve anchored culture, navigated crisis, balanced risk and reward. You’re the communicator who knows how to move people.
But here’s the truth: Influence that isn’t evolving starts to rust. And as we head into 2025, the push to evolve is glaring—two letters make the difference: AI.
This isn’t a futuristic threat. It’s today’s reality. But before you brace yourself for a robot takeover, let’s reframe the moment. The story isn’t that AI is coming for your job. The story is that AI is here to elevate the parts of your job that truly matter.
If you lead communications for a large organization—juggling culture, compliance, crises—AI may become your newest strategic partner.
A New Normal in Communications
Recent research by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) found that communication leaders are already comfortable using generative AI—while still emphasising that it is a tool, not a strategy. (Source: https://instituteforpr.org/ipr-generative-ai-organizations-2024). Another study shows that in PR and communications, adoption of these tools has “tripled since 2023,” with 75 per cent of professionals now using generative AI. And when it comes to the specific task of press releases, 26 per cent of communicators say they use generative AI for drafting them (Source: https://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2024/52150/impact-of-generative-ai-on-press-releases).
What does this mean? It means that AI is not on the far horizon. It is here. It is being used. If you don’t embrace it, you risk being left behind.
The power here is this: AI isn’t here to replace your voice; it’s here to amplify it.
Remember when spreadsheets reshaped finance? Accountants didn’t get replaced—they got better tools. Generative AI offers a similar upgrade for communicators. It doesn’t think for you—but it drafts, researches, queries, speeds up your workflow so you can focus on the message, the moment, the meaning.
I’ve seen AI cut a press‑release production time from four hours to forty minutes. I’ve seen it surface media contacts with the exact beat and tone I needed. It gives us frameworks, outlines, language starters. We skip the blank page and start with a canvas.
It doesn’t steal your voice. It helps you use your voice.
Four Practical Ways to Look Brilliant with AI
Let’s get specific. Here are four frontline ways savvy communicators are using AI to elevate their work:
- Media Targeting Gets Personal
Generative AI tools now analyse journalist preferences, beat history, tone. That means your pitch doesn’t just land—it resonates. You’re tailoring the story to the person, not just the outlet. - Crisis Detection in Real Time
AI doesn’t just monitor mentions—it identifies sentiment shifts before they boil over. Lead time = less damage. You’re not just reacting—you’re orchestrating. - Personalisation at Scale
From one announcement you might generate ten audience‑specific versions—employees, trade media, local outlets—without sacrificing consistency. That kind of agility is rare. With AI, it’s within reach. - Measurement That Proves Your Worth
These tools aren’t just about words—they’re about impact. You can now show how your message moved people: share of voice, sentiment lift, website traffic. Data that speaks your language at the executive table.
Don’t Ignore the Red Flags
Now, let’s not romanticise this. AI isn’t all smooth sailing. It can hallucinate facts, it can perpetuate bias, it can generate something that sounds right but feels flat.
A recent academic paper found that in organisational image‑building, AI‑generated press releases were shorter, more uniformly positive, and lacked nuanced tone compared to human‑written ones. (Source: https://www.masscomjournal.com/archives/2025.v6.i2.A.115?utm). It’s a reminder: Ethical communicators don’t use AI without a review process. We don’t publish without a pulse check. We treat AI output like a draft from a new intern: helpful—but not ready for prime time without human review.
Trust is the currency of communication. When AI gets it wrong and nobody catches it—you’re the one who pays. Guardrails matter.
The Responsibility to Lead
If you’re in a senior communications role, your job isn’t just about adopting AI—it’s about guiding how your team uses it. That means:
- Drafting ethical guidelines and workflows for AI use.
- Leading conversations about transparency and brand voice in a world that includes machine‑generated output.
- Modelling how AI supports—not replaces—thoughtful, strategic communication.
Create a “center of excellence” for AI in your comms team. Host lunch‑&‑learns. Make this part of your team’s growth agenda—don’t leave it to guesswork.
What AI Can’t Do (And Why That’s Your Superpower)
Even the smartest algorithm can’t replace the heart of what we do:
- Storytelling with soul. AI can generate words. You bring wisdom, empathy and cultural fluency.
- Relationship‑building that matters. Journalists, executives, employees—they want you, not a bot.
- Ethical judgement when the playbook doesn’t fit. AI follows a prompt. You lead the room. You calm the storm. You make the call when it counts.
That human edge? It’s still your lane—and it’s more vital than ever.
Your Leadership Chapter: Choose It Intentionally
Here’s your moment. And I’ll say this plainly: AI isn’t here to write your story—it’s here to sharpen your pen. But only if you let it.
- Decide that you will lead with intention, not fear.
- Use AI—but stay human‑first. Let it carry the weight of repetitive tasks so you can carry the weight of vision.
- Build workflows that invite innovation, but demand accountability.
- Ask the question: When my team looks back in five years, will they say I led us into the future—or lagged behind?
This isn’t about keeping up. It’s about stepping ahead. With strategy. With clarity. With courage.
The future of communications isn’t artificial—it’s ours to lead.
Monique Farmer, APR, runs a PR/Communication Consultancy, Avant Solutions, and is the creator of Anvil Ready, an online communication strategy builder that aids the communication professional in creating communication plans. She teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. Farmer spent 12 years working in the federal government prior to working in corporate communications for ConAgra Foods (now ConAgra Brands), then leading communication strategy for Nebraska’s largest school district. In March 2024, she published her first book, Chart Your Path: A 9-step Method to Getting Unstuck. Want to connect? Schedule a time here: myimpactsession.com.