Half of PR creative chiefs already use AI for campaign generation

Of the 28 top-level PR agency creatives who took part in a recent PRWeek UK survey, 79% say they think AI tools are useful for their job.

The majority (68%) see the technology as only slightly useful for now, but a few (11%) think it’s very useful.

“ChatGPT and other AI platforms can be useful for generating copy, insights and data analysis,” said Georgia Andrewes, senior account director at Richmond & Towers. “However, they won’t replace the industry’s creativity and understanding of humankind’s nuances, which remain essential for crafting impactful and diverse campaigns.”

“I am sure it will play a bigger and bigger role, but hopefully as a spark rather than a solution,” said Jason Gallucci, global creative director at Media Zoo.

In agreement is Hotwire’s creative director, Camilo Lascano Tribin, who stated: “AI is great at telling you what has been, like an exceptional research assistant, but for new thinking, for that lightning strike, it still takes people.”

“If I’m honest, I think [AI tools] are a bit of a distraction, a (currently) flawed form of creative mass production,” said Oli Miller, a freelancer who was most recently associate creative director at Pangolin. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re fun, but I really hope we use AI to greater challenge ourselves, not do the work.”

It appears that a selection of agencies are already using this advanced technology in some capacity within in their work – 57%, to be precise – although for the most part this is for assistive purposes, rather than a comprehensive solution for creativity.

“We’re looking at this closely,” said Jo White, partner and creative director at Headland. “Teams are already using it as a tool on written creative tasks and to generate images for pitch decks, but they do need human input and reworking to make them usable.”

Many say they use AI in a more nuanced way than coming up with entire campaign ideas. Launch’s Kevan Barber believes it can be helpful in providing potential campaign names, while MSL’s Kim Allain has used the tool to write up press releases (albeit ones that need “finessing”).

In fact, AI can even be used as a means of brainstorming to “get all the bad ideas out of the way”, as Frank PR’s creative lead, Lee Sanders, put it. “Otherwise, to get generalist views on new subjects, industries, and even clients, it speeds things up.

“We’ve all tried; anyone who says they haven’t is on a moral high horse,” he added, explaining that it’s natural to be curious about whether “we’re better than AI”.

On the contrary, Dave Bennett, group communications director at Rise at Seven, said: “We haven’t used it for ideation, as we believe clients are paying us for our human brains. AI is not in a place to replace us just yet.”