How prepared is UK PR for the AI revolution? PRWeek’s latest Beyond the Noise podcast episode takes a look.

Our guests this week have been looking at that question as part of a major study: Jo Sutherland, MD at comms agency Magenta Associates; and Dr Tanya Kant, senior lecturer in media and cultural studies (digital media) at the University of Sussex.

Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.

Sutherland and Kant discuss the survey from last year of 1,100 UK-based content writers and managers working in PR, comms or marketing.

The duo explain the background to the research and choose their top lessons from the study, which looks at what proportion of comms professionals are using AI, what they think of the tools, and how many have received training. The report – ‘CheatGPT? Generative text AI use in the UK’s PR and communications profession’ – also asks about ethical and legal concerns.

Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, our guests discuss the biggest barriers to AI success for comms professionals, including an apparent lack of sufficient training.

They talk about upcoming regulations around the technology, the dangers of ‘AI fatigue’, and offer practical advice for PR professionals who want to get ahead. Sutherland also gives the lowdown on Magenta’s experience with AI – including how the agency secured money from the Government’s AI Upskilling fund, which covers 50 per cent of the PR firm’s AI training.

This week’s episode is the second in a row on AI. Last week we spoke to Erin Lanuti, chief innovation officer at Omnicom PR Group, who discussed DeepSeek’s dramatic entry to the AI market and what it might mean for the comms industry.

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