PR and comms is not being proactive enough with AI, and I find that incredibly f
By Thepaulsutton · November 5, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
PR and comms is not being proactive enough with AI, and I find that incredibly frustrating. Stephen Waddington put it well in his latest newsletter: “AI is something that is happening to the PR and communications function rather than workflow being deliberately redesigned [around it].” I agree with him 💯.
He sets out three scenarios. In the ‘doomsday’ one, comms gets absorbed into other functions. In the ‘elevation’ one, new roles emerge for communicators. And then there’s what he calls ‘muddling on’, which is exactly where I think the industry is now and is likely to stay.
A potential agency client told me recently that ‘the media agency have beaten us to the GEO work’. A media agency, whose main job is paid media, beating a comms agency to AI search visibility work? That should never happen ❌
The industry should be taking the bull by the horns and managing AI, not simply reacting to the technology. The comparison with the SEO industry, which is all over AI visibility like a rash, is stark.
It’s been like this as long as I can remember. It happened when SEO arrived, it happened again with social media, and it’s happening now.
Do I think Stephen’s doomsday scenario is likely? No. But I think his elevation scenario is just as improbable. The industry will muddle along like it always does and let others take a huge chunk of the work.
❓ What do you think? Am I wrong?❓