PR veteran and Commetric co-founder Tony Burgess-Webb warns that today’s GenAI revolution is no time for comms professionals to stick their heads in the sand.
Generative AI has captured everyone’s attention due to its ability to create text, images and video autonomously, thus bypassing, even surpassing human capabilities in specific tasks. This revolutionises the process of creating communications content, impacting journalism, marketing, entertainment – and PR.
At the same time, AI is directly changing media consumption habits, accelerating the disintermediation of mainstream media and facilitating the rise of alternative content sources.
The proliferation of synthetic media content has negative implications for trust and authenticity in media. AI-generated content blurs the lines between reality and fabrication, challenging traditional media’s role as gatekeepers of trusted information.
In extreme cases, businesses and individuals can fall victim to misinformation or malicious content creation, so-called ‘fake news’. This can impact not only brand and corporate reputation but share price and customer trust.
The communications industry needs to adapt urgently and recognise the increased importance of early warning systems and risk-targeted media analysis in mitigating reputation risks.