AI in PR. Or Just PR Being PR? You Tell Me.

Remember Salman Khan’s “Being Human”?
I understand its importance more now.

AI could have never helped me with this hook, right? :’)

No matter how much AI we use, we humans will still connect to human tone more. We will relate to human essence more.

Not against AI, but so many of us are not realising we are way smarter than this tool.

AI is becoming the benchmark, it has quietly entered everything we do.

Drafting pitches. Writing thought leadership. Summarising briefs.  Rewriting subject lines for the tenth time. Even writing simple texts!

PR is so, so simple. Yet so complicated and difficult.

Not because the work itself is tough, but because the people involved in this process often make it that way, with vague, evolving and unreasonable expectations. To be the perfect voice in the industry.

AI has entered this already unpredictable industry, big time.

Everyone is suddenly high on AI. From the PR team, to client, content, social teams – everyone is experimenting with it. Everyone wants to use it, trust it, and supposedly move faster because of it. The draft written by a team member is “improvised” and “shared back” by client teams, as changes with the help of AI.

Recently, one of my clients told me, “Shreya, ask your team to not use ChatGPT. Instead, use Perplexity.” I paused. I assumed it was some advanced content evaluation tool or research platform. Only to see it was also an AI tool. I mean, we are now recommending AI to replace AI??
That moment summed up the entire “AI in PR” conversation.

We want AI. We want faster outputs, but we also want human creativity. We want automation, but we also want personalization. In trying to balance all of this, AI has quietly revealed something important. It actually didn’t change PR. It exposed PR.

AI Didn’t Replace PR. It Replaced Average PR

When AI first entered the PR conversation, there was quiet panic. Would AI write press releases? Would AI create thought leadership? Would AI replace junior teams?

The short answer is yes, AI can do all of that. And yet, we are still very much here. Because AI didn’t replace PR. It replaced average PR.

AI can draft a clean press release in seconds. It can structure thought leadership better than many templates. This means the mechanical parts of PR became easier overnight?
No, something else happened too.

Now, the difference lies in thinking. Original insights matter more. Context matters more. Timing matters more. AI can help write, but it cannot decide what deserves to be written or deserves to be heard.

Faster Tools, Same Human Complexity

AI helps, but when and where? Context still takes time. Understanding the story still takes time. AI accelerates work, but it doesn’t replace the human mind. And in PR, human connection is everything.

We still are ahead of AI. We work in communications, we are humans – use AI effectively and smartly.

Sometimes the difference between a story landing and being ignored is not the writing. It’s that human touch, the timing, and the understanding of what matters to the media more. AI can support that process, but it cannot replace you.

In India, PR Is Still Human

In India, the reality is even more grounded. Relationships still matter deeply. Journalists still respond to your jokes instead of that AI pitch.

AI can suggest a journalist, but it cannot replace the relationship you’ve built over years.

We do not have to be flawless, we do not have to be the best while speaking to clients or media – we simply need to be more HUMAN. In the end, creativity matters more. You matter more.

AI cannot take away PR roles. It showed what PR actually is. Now, we need to see that thin line.

We can only understand another human, shape amazing narratives, build that trust, and relate to Salman’s “Being Human” or “Zindagi mein teen cheeje kabhi underestimate mat karna – I,Me, aur Myself”

You are smiling, because these thoughts are mine. AI is so unfunny!

– Shreya Johri,
Senior PR Associate,
iHorizon Communications