How can the PR industry use AI more intelligently?

Following Wildfire’s recent AI in PR roundtable, we caught up with our guest speaker Andrew Bruce Smith, leading AI and communications consultant, alongside Luke Proctor, AI lead at Wildfire, Debby Penton, CEO at Wildfire, and Alex Warren, author of Spin Machines and head of marketing at Wildfire.

Here are their thoughts on how public relations is adapting to artificial intelligence and how they’d like to see the PR industry using AI in future:

Andrew Bruce Smith, AI in PR expert and consultant

“One thing I’d change about how the PR industry thinks about AI right now is the relentless focus on efficiency — the idea that AI is simply about taking what we already do and doing more of it, faster and cheaper. I’m not denying the value of efficiency, but focusing on it alone is ultimately a dead end.”

What we should be talking about instead is how we can use AI in innovative, intelligent ways to reinvent the way we work. That means finding new ways to create value, regardless of whether you’re in an agency supporting clients or part of an in-house team.”

Luke Proctor, AI lead and head of Wildfire’s AI taskforce

“At its best, the PR industry includes genuine trailblazers. Early adopters who are — as a result of the multidisciplinary nature of what we do — becoming unlikely labs for AI use.

“At its worst, the industry contains those who are lacking in both the courage and curiosity necessary to really grapple with it.

“Building on Andrew’s point, I’d like to see us all asking better questions. We should be approaching our work from first principles, instead of retrofitting AI to old processes which may now be obsolete. But above all: experiment! Let curiosity win the day. Don’t underestimate how much can be learned through play, trial and error.”

Debby Penton, CEO at Wildfire

"The truth is that we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s coming with AI. Technology will keep shifting the playing field as it always has — faster now and less predictably. The smartest PR teams won’t chase every shiny new tool but will use AI to deepen understanding, spot trends, and sharpen strategy.

“By applying it to analyse audiences, test messages, and uncover insights that inform creativity, PR pros can let AI do the heavy lifting on data while they focus on the human craft of communication."

Alex Warren, author of Spin Machines and Head of Marketing at Wildfire

”The PR industry’s relationship with AI right now feels a bit like giving a jetpack to someone who just wants to get to the next bus stop. Far too many people are using it to do the same old stuff, but a little faster, a little cheaper, and with a few more em dashes.

“My hope is that, going forward, the PR industry will really start using AI to do something interesting. At Wildfire’ we’ve already been running PR campaigns with AI-generated videos, audio guides, stunt materials, creative design — the sort of stuff that can help make B2B campaigns genuinely memorable. For me, that’s the point of AI. Not to churn out fifty shades of thought leadership beige; but to make work that’s better, bolder, and delivers more business results.”

Ready to see what AI could do for your PR?

If you’re a comms professional working in B2B tech, set up a call with Wildfire to explore how AI can power more creative, intelligent, and effective campaigns.

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