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How Artificial Intelligence is Impacting Public Relations

Public relations will not avoid the transformations generated by artificial intelligence (AI). CASACOM is actively thinking about the many changes that lie ahead. Will robots replace professionals? Will algorithms create press releases from scratch? Will technology detect the best target audiences to interact with? For Josh Ginsberg, president and co-founder of Zignal Labs, a digital intelligence and analytics firm leveraging these types of technologies, AI will become the buoy of PR in the sea of data that overwhelms us.

At the annual PRSA Conference in Boston, which I attended in early October, the San Francisco entrepreneur pointed out that 90% of all data generated in the past 120 years has been issued in the last two years. The proliferation of comments, sharing and interactions on social media creates a constant tsunami of information. Traditional monitoring tools are no longer sufficient to analyze tone and perception. It is especially in this field that AI will serve public relations.

© Zignal Lab

© Zignal Lab

AI 101
The term artificial intelligence appeared in the 1950s. It referred to the first computers and their potential ability to think like humans. It was not until the mid-1970s that powerful algorithms originated to help analyze a lot of data and draw conclusions. This was called machine learning.

Today, researchers are busy developing deep learning. The aim is to model the conclusions drawn from multiple data analysis by creating artificial neural systems. Think about SIRI or Google Now.

Keeping up with the rhythm
Let’s go back to public relations. How will applications from AI help PR? For Josh Ginsberg, the functionalities pertaining to monitoring systems will shatter with AI. Professionals who monitor all insights available on the web using advanced tools will react more quickly and with more acuteness. On the other hand, those who continue to analyze reactions to a news story by looking at all  mentions manually will be quickly outdated.

Detecting crisis
Not only will we be able to respond more appropriately to news developments through AI, but our ability to detect crisis will also increase.

Take the example of a brand that typically generates a thousand daily mentions on social media. Imagine that number fluctuating unusually. While most monitoring tools will detect an atypical change, the more powerful platforms supported by AI will do much more. They will make it possible to predict the evolution of anticipated mentions according to the analysis of variations recorded in the last months. Such features will improve our ability to judge the level of urgency of a situation.

© Zignal Lab

© Zignal Lab

Josh Ginsberg answered some key questions about AI and algorithms and how it will affect PR. See below:

    1. Will robots interfere with press relations?

“I don’t think machines will ever call journalists. On the other hand, AI and related tools will become PR specialists’ best friends. With these features, they will be able to work faster, prepare better recommendations and be more relevant to their clients. ”

      1. Will algorithms create content from scratch?

“We are not there yet. However, we will see tools emerge that will evaluate the best moments to publish a news story or recommend whether it is appropriate to comment publicly on a particular subject. ”

        1. Will new tools detect the best target audiences to interact with?

“Public relations professionals know the main audiences to reach out to in order to change perceptions. Data analysis will provide them with new opportunities to identify influencers who often go under the radar. I think of some of the behind-the-scenes decision makers who are rarely mentioned in newspapers and who feed a lot of conversations on social media. ”

At CASACOM, the advancement of artificial intelligence and the many uses that this technology allows, fascinates us. Our digital analysis consultants are here to recommend applications and new ways of doing things to better equip our clients for facing the changes that are transforming our industry. If you’d like more information on AI and how it will impact public relations, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Jean-Michel Nahas About the author
jnahas@casacom.ca
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