There’s more content being produced than ever, and more of it is being ignored. AI didn’t create that problem. It just made it faster and easier to produce content that all sounds the same. Scroll through social media, read a few blog posts, or open your inbox, and you’ll start to notice a pattern. The tone feels familiar. The structure is predictable. The messaging is polished, but it lacks something. That something is usually a matter of perspective, a point of view shaped by real human experience. When information is everywhere, it’s not the content itself that grabs attention anymore. It’s how it’s interpreted. But there’s another shift happening at the same time, and it’s just as important.
Even strong content isn’t being seen the way it used to. Search behavior is changing. People are asking questions differently, and increasingly they’re getting answers directly from AI tools rather than clicking through multiple links. Impressions may still be there, but engagement and traffic don’t always follow.
According to research from the Content Marketing Institute, brands continue to invest more heavily in content each year, but only 29% see meaningful results. More output hasn’t translated into more impact, not just because of content quality, but because of how that content is now being discovered and consumed. That’s where the real risk of AI in PR begins to show up.
The Real Risk Isn’t AI, It’s How It’s Used
AI is now part of almost every marketing and PR workflow. From drafting content to summarizing research, it’s become a standard tool across the industry. And that’s not inherently a bad thing.
In fact, reports from HubSpot show 80% of marketers are already using AI to support content creation in some form. The shift has already happened. The question now isn’t whether AI should be used, it’s how.
When AI is used without clear direction or refinement, it creates a different kind of problem. Messaging becomes broader. Content loses its point of view. Pitches feel templated instead of intentional. That might seem like a small shift, but the impact is significant.
Journalists, for example, are seeing the effects in real time. According to industry research from Muck Rack, reporters receive dozens, sometimes hundreds, of pitches each week, and a large percentage of them miss the mark in terms of relevance and quality. In other words, there’s more outreach happening than ever before, but less of it is actually landing.
AI didn’t create bad PR. But it has made it easier to produce more of it, faster.
And when agencies rely on that output without refining it, they’re not just saving time; they’re lowering the quality of what represents your brand and doing their clients a disservice.
Where AI Actually Adds Value
When used correctly, AI can be one of the most valuable tools a PR team has. Not because it replaces the work, but because it supports it.
AI is incredibly effective at handling the kinds of tasks that slow teams down, like organizing information, speeding up research, helping structure early ideas, or managing repetitive workflows behind the scenes. It can take something that used to take hours and reduce it to minutes. That kind of efficiency matters.
It allows teams to spend less time on manual tasks and more time on the parts of the work that actually drive results: developing the strategy, shaping the message, refining the angle, and making sure the outreach is relevant to the person receiving it. That’s where AI is at its best, not as the voice of the brand, but as the assistant supporting the process.
AI is also changing how content is found. More people are now getting answers directly from AI tools instead of clicking through multiple links. That means your content isn’t just being read by people, it’s being interpreted, summarized, and surfaced by AI systems.
This is the benefit of using AI to create content that will continue to drive effective marketing as we move from SEO to generative engine optimization, or GEO. Not only can AI help you generate content ideas, but it creates content that AI can understand, trust, and reference. That’s where AI becomes a strategic advantage, not just a production tool.
Where Responsible Agencies Draw the Line
The difference between effective and ineffective AI use comes down to one question: Who is shaping the final message?
Because while AI can help generate ideas or draft content, it cannot understand nuance the way a human can. It doesn’t know what makes a story timely. It doesn’t recognize subtle shifts in audience behavior, cultural relevance, or other mitigating factors. And it doesn’t have the relationships or context that PR depends on.
That’s why responsible agencies don’t rely on AI to define positioning, develop angles, or send out final messaging without refinement. Those decisions require judgment. They require experience. And they require a clear understanding of what will resonate, not just what sounds good on paper.
PR has never been about producing the most content. It’s about producing the right content, in the right way, at the right time.
There’s also a growing ethical conversation around how AI is used in marketing and PR, and most clients don’t have visibility into it. That matters more than ever because behind the scenes, not all AI use is equal.
There’s a difference between:
- Using AI to assist with research and organization
- Using AI to generate final messaging that goes out under your brand name
There’s also a difference between:
- Creating original content with AI support
- Repackaging or lightly modifying existing ideas without adding anything new
This is where the line starts to blur. In the past, similar questions arose in photography and design. Tools like Photoshop made it easy to alter images, but there were still standards around ownership, originality, and disclosure. If you used someone else’s work, you licensed it. If you altered something significantly, it became a new piece. If you didn’t, it wasn’t yours to claim. AI is creating a similar dynamic in both visual elements and content.
Right now, there aren’t always clear, enforced rules, but there are emerging expectations:
- Content should reflect original thinking, not just generated output
- Sources should be respected, even when information is summarized
- Messaging should be reviewed and refined by a human before it’s published
- AI should not be used to mislead, fabricate, or create false authority
This isn’t just about compliance. It’s about credibility. Because as AI-generated content becomes more common, audiences and journalists are getting better at recognizing what feels generic, recycled, or disconnected from real expertise. And once that trust is lost, it’s difficult to regain.
What Clients Should Expect in 2026
AI isn’t going anywhere, and it shouldn’t. Used well, it makes teams more efficient, more organized, and better able to deliver strong results.
But clients should expect more clarity from the agencies they work with. A responsible agency will be transparent about how AI is used within its process. They’ll use it to improve efficiency, not to cut corners. And they’ll ensure that every piece of messaging, whether it’s a pitch, a press release, or a thought leadership article, is shaped by human insight before it reaches an audience. Because more content doesn’t mean better results. And more automation doesn’t replace good judgment.
The agencies that stand out in 2026 won’t be the ones using AI the most. They’ll be the ones using it the most responsibly to support better thinking, not replace it.
What This Means for Our Work at Fletcher
At Fletcher Communications, this shift isn’t theoretical; it directly impacts how we approach our work every day. Whether we’re supporting tourism initiatives, working with community organizations, or helping clients build long-term visibility, the goal has never been to produce more content simply. It’s to create messaging that resonates, builds trust, and reflects the reality of the audience we’re trying to reach. That requires both awareness and accountability.
We stay up to date on how AI is shaping communication, not to replace the work, but to improve how we do it. That means using AI to support research, streamline processes, and strengthen strategy, while ensuring that every message is grounded in human insight, context, and experience. Because in PR, credibility matters.
And as the way people find and engage with information continues to evolve, maintaining that credibility, through thoughtful, responsible communication, is what ultimately drives results.
