Kirsty O’Connor, Managing Director at North Seventy Five.Every wave of technological disruption brings the same chorus: this is the moment PR becomes obsolete. First, it was the internet, then social media, then influencers. Now it’s AI, which is accelerating faster than regulators or agencies can keep up with, and the wider industry is once again quick to write off PR.
Let’s be clear: PR is not done. History shows it evolves well. And more importantly, its value is becoming more visible, not less. And here’s why:
1. PR is, and will always be, a human business
One of the first things we are taught in Public Relations is its definition: it is the art of relating to publics. It’s communicators, engaging with journalists, content creators, stakeholders that connect with and influence the public. Now that chain of news has evolved over time, yes, but the fundamentals have not. It’s people talking to people to drive awareness and action from … you guessed it … people.
For all the hype about agents, synthetic spokespeople and AI-generated copy, the fundamental job of PR hasn’t changed. It is still about people, understanding them, influencing them, earning their trust and showing up when it matters.
Yes, machines can generate content quicker than a human, but they cannot build credibility. They cannot look a journalist in the eye during a tough interview. They cannot tell a CMO that their idea isn’t going to land. They cannot sense the unspoken tension in a stakeholder briefing. And they cannot empathise with the lived experience that shapes how audiences interpret a message.
AI simply can’t feel, sense or engage on an emotional level the way a real person can.
2. AI is brilliant at the ‘doing’. PR is defined by the thinking.
The industry has always struggled with a perception problem: people mistake outputs for the job. But coverage, content and campaigns have never been the true value of PR. Advisory is.
AI can give you infinite data. It can give you endless copy options. It can predict sentiment shifts. But it cannot tell you what to care about, when to act or how to navigate a moment where reputation hangs in the balance. That requires judgement. Context. Cultural nuance. Political awareness. Humanity.
AI may supercharge the science of communications, but it cannot replicate the artistic instinct that sits at the heart of good counsel.
3. The rise of synthetic media is making authenticity a premium
Ironically, AI is making PR more important. As deepfakes, misinformation and algorithm-led content floods every channel, the role of brands and leaders as authentic voices becomes more valuable.
The more artificial the environment, the more audiences gravitate towards what feels human. We’re already seeing it: unpolished CEO videos outperforming overly produced ones; journalists demanding transparency over spin; creators favouring vulnerability over perfection.
In a world where anything can be fabricated, the real thing carries disproportionate weight.
PR has always been the guardian of the real thing.
4. The future of PR is augmented
This is not a call to romanticise the past. AI will, and should, transform our industry. It will ease admin, accelerate insights, streamline briefs, sharpen content and reshape agency models. Radical reset around how we work often leads to better outcomes. It frees practitioners to do the work that moves reputation: counsel, creativity, relationships.
The PR professionals who thrive next aren’t the ones clinging to the old ways, they’re the ones smart enough to work with AI, so they can focus on the human parts of the job that cannot be automated.
And that’s the point. AI won’t kill PR because PR at its core was never about the tasks AI is replacing.
5. Public relations will never become artificial relations
Public relations is fundamentally a discipline built on trust. Technology has evolved it, channels have fragmented it and workflows have transformed it but trust still lives with people.
If organisations need to communicate with real humans and if reputations can rise or fall on emotion, perception and connection – PR will remain indispensable.
By Kirsty O’Connor, Managing Director at North Seventy Five.
