December 31, 2025

AI Debates The Future of Comms - with NotebookLM

13 minutes

**NotebookLM HAS TAKEN OVER THE TRENDING COMMUNICATOR. AGAIN.**

Generative AI is shaking up the world of communications—and the debate is on. In this special takeover episode of The Trending Communicator, Abel and Iris weigh the promise and pitfalls of AI adoption for comms professionals. Is AI truly a strategic superpower, or does it risk eroding hard-won wisdom and trust?

Our hosts tackle big questions about originality, efficiency, brand voice, and the critical role of human judgment. From allegations of “AI slop” to the growing expectation that professionals must adapt or become obsolete, Iris and Abel challenge each other—and the industry—to find balance between bold innovation and ethical responsibility. Whether you’re in the excitement camp or a skeptic, this episode delivers sharp insights, real-world examples, and a call to lead with empathy and rigor as AI rewrites the rules of communication.

Listen in and hear about:

How generative AI is transforming communication strategy and the debate over its real value

Why AI-created content risks diluting professional wisdom and brand trust

Ways communicators are leveraging legacy content to maintain originality with AI

Ongoing concerns about AI amplifying existing flaws and spreading "AI slop"

The evolving role of communicators as quality filters in an AI-driven workflow

Challenges organizations face with AI adoption, from poor change management to role uncertainty

Leadership’s new responsibility to use AI as a strategic partner while preserving empathy and judgment

Timestamps

0:00:00 Podcast Takeover & Introduction
0:00:26 GenAI and the Big Debate in Comms
0:00:38 Does Generative AI Add or Destroy Value?
0:01:06 Risks, Disruption & Trust in AI Adoption
0:01:25 Augmentation vs. Automation—Strategic Value
0:02:13 AI Hype & Human Element Concerns
0:02:39 AI Slop, Trust Issues, and Expertise Erosion
0:03:24 Strategic Upside: AI as Enabler
0:04:05 Human Judgment as the Quality Filter
0:04:40 Speed vs. Quality & Distinctive Human Insight
0:05:03 Changing Roles: Prompting, Critiquing, Synthesizing
0:05:31 Institutional Readiness, Ethics, Trust & Systemic Risks
0:06:43 Empathy & Perspective: Irreplaceable Human Advantages
0:07:06 AI for Reputation Management, Context, & Scale
0:07:32 Ethics vs. Efficiency: Risks in Sensitive Fields
0:08:04 Senior Communicators, AI as Validation & Infrastructure
0:08:41 Broadening Strategic Functions; AI as Audience
0:09:14 Organizational Readiness & Leadership Challenges
0:10:01 Leadership Opportunity: AI as Strategic Sparring Partner
0:10:52 Human Wisdom & Navigating Disruption
0:11:36 Closing Remarks & Podcast Outro

Audio generated by NotebookLM, based on the transcripts from all episodes of The Trending Communicator in 2025. Notes and timestamps generated by Castmagic. Intro and outro music generated by Suno. Outro voice generated with Elevenlabs. Graphic depiction of Abel and Iris generated with Gemini (Nanobanana); any similarity to any individual, living or dead, is unintentional.

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