A.I. and communications: Critical takeaways from recent webinars and resources

Recently I’ve attended various webinars, listened to podcasts, and read newsletters about artificial intelligence (A.I.) and its impact on communications and public relations, particularly around crisis communications and issues management. These include a webinar by the Crisis Ready Institute and the podcast Me & Viv.  Here are some of my key learnings from these various resources:

Why communications is now a leadership function

• Communications and leadership are synonymous – you can’t have one without the other and communicators need to have a seat at the leadership tables especially when making A.I. related decisions.
• 86% of employees believe that communications failures are the root cause of workplace mistakes.
• Almost 50% of business leaders believe the effective communications has helped them gain new business.
• We have an opportunity for trusted leaders who create calm and unity.

What A.I. is doing to trust

• Bad actors are using A.I. to manipulate emotions, which is leading to a loss of trust and a greater need for crisis preparedness.
• What used to be standard communication now has risk, partially because of A.I. and audiences are ready to react instead of respond to communications.
• There is currently a lot of fear and anger among audiences. Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer, which they put out annually, shows a global decline for employer and business leader trust and the belief that our leaders lie to us is at an all-time high.

The numbers on crisis readiness

• In 2024, 75% of organizations reported having a high-stakes communications incident.
• Most organizations take 21 hours to respond in a crisis whereas it can hit the media in less than one.
• Audiences expect holding statements to be released within 15 minutes of the issue.

How communicators should respond

• We need to remove ourselves from the feeling of urgency and fear around of A.I. so that we can make better decisions about how and when to use it.
• The quickest pathway to connection is vulnerability, leaders shouldn’t be afraid to show it.
• Leaders often feel like they must hide how they feel when they communicate but feelings are powerful.
• There are opportunities to use A.I. strategically to help us communicate better.
• When people feel unsafe you need to help them feel safe before they will listen to you.

In summary, we’ll be seeing more issues management needs as A.I. use increases but it can also help you manage these incidents as well. I hope these are useful thoughts in your A.I. and communications efforts.