Beyond Efficiency: Three Ways Generative AI is Reshaping PR

In future, we may look back at the evolution of PR and communications in terms of pre and post-Generative AI. Yet right now, while we’re all trying to understand what impact it could have, most discussions frame it as a productivity tool.

This perspective overlooks the fact that Generative AI isn’t just changing how we work – it’s also rapidly reshaping the environment we communicate in.

Let’s explore three ways this shift is already happening today.

1. Generative AI as a communications channel

Consumers and B2B buyers are increasingly turning to Generative AI to research brands and products. Where they once might have waded through Google, combed through a subreddit, or spoken to a human expert, many now turn to chatbots and AI-generated search results for insight and advice. This shift is reshaping the customer journey, the discovery phase and the search landscape.

Businesses must figure out what this means for them. They need to explore ways to establish a genuine presence on platforms like ChatGPT or Perplexity if that’s where their customers are now seeking information. One approach is simply to buy their way in, with Perplexity having officially announced plans to explore ways to integrate advertising into their products – and OpenAI is reportedly doing the same.

But what about organic visibility? Is there a way to make ChatGPT aware of our latest product announcement? Can we influence the outputs of a model to ensure our products are mentioned more often than those of our competitors? There are many important questions like these without clear and definitive answers at present.

One thing we do know is that Chatbots often refer to traditional media when asked about brands or products, as these sources have a higher degree of impartiality than owned media and more reliable than user-generated content on social media.

This presents a great opportunity for PR agencies and in-house teams because it suggests that increasing your visibility on platforms like ChatGPT starts with strengthening your presence in the media outlets these tools rely on for information. It could elevate the importance of PR and media relations in entirely unexpected ways.

2. Zero clicks

For quite a while now, driving organic traffic to websites has been getting increasingly difficult. Think about it: virtually all social networks currently either ban or penalise outbound links, making it harder to share content.

At the same time, Google continues to roll out more “zero-click” searches – where answers are displayed directly on the search results page, eliminating the need for users to click through to a website. According to a SparkToro analysis, nearly 60% of Google searches result in zero clicks.

Securing organic traffic is likely to get harder still, with Generative AI becoming a primary interface for consuming information. While chatbots might graciously scrape your website when looking for information – and they may even have the courtesy to credit it as a source – that won’t translate into many clicks.

According to Similarweb data, shared by Malte Landwehr on LinkedIn, only 2% of sessions on chatgpt.com result in a click to the open web.

What does this mean for businesses? We must acknowledge that attracting organic traffic to a company website won’t get any easier in the coming years. This means that getting your content into earned media will be more important than ever. At the same time, we need to ask ourselves how  this shift will impact publishers.

Publishers that still rely heavily on social media and Google for traffic may soon run into trouble. Those that have built their own distribution channels will be better positioned for success. Direct visitors, newsletter subscribers, and app installations are now more valuable than ever.

3. Content inflation

The last – and perhaps most elusive – topic to talk about is content inflation. By “content inflation”, I mean the rapid surge of AI-generated content flooding every channel and platform. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that this is happening – just scroll through your LinkedIn feed. But so far, we don’t have much hard data to back it up. However, one recent study suggests that 54% of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn are likely AI-generated. A significant challenge that was highlighted in the Tyto Tech 500 recently.

Again, content inflation just adds to a wider trend we have seen emerging. Audiences are overwhelmed by an endless stream of content – far more than they can possibly consume. Their capacity for consumption and attention span hasn’t changed – demand remains the same. But supply has exploded. And this is just the beginning, with AI-generated video content still in its early stages.

What does this mean for us? On one hand, cutting through the noise and capturing audience attention is becoming increasingly difficult. On the other hand, the old PR playbook of maintaining a “constant drumbeat” is no longer effective. Instead of flooding overstimulated audiences with even more irrelevant content, we need to focus on what truly matters to them.

It’s time to detox your content calendar. Filter out the irrelevant. Prioritise substance over volume. Because in the age of Generative AI, this may be the only way to create a meaningful brand experience. But then again, wasn’t it always?