NEW YORK: PR pitch platform PRophet partnered with the Harris Poll to better understand the role that tech, and specifically AI, plays in the PR industry and found that nine in 10 respondents said AI is worth investigating.
The survey found that a large majority of PR pros say AI has potential: 92% said it could transform the way that PR is conducted and think it’s worth exploring. More than half, 55%, pointed to the benefits AI could bring to predicting media interest and sentiment, and 83% suggested it could address staffing shortages. A large majority (90%) responded that AI could help them spend more of their efforts on higher-value tasks.
Despite the optimism expressed by many, other respondents said they do not know enough. Eighty-five percent said they want to know more about AI capabilities within the industry, while 50% acknowledged that they don’t know how AI can be leveraged by PR pros.
Respondents said the biggest opportunity lies in pitching. The survey found that a large percentage of PR pros rely on experience (75%), relationships with journalists (66%) or their gut (72%) when it comes to identifying and pitching the right journalists. But with more finding it difficult to get earned media pickup (77%), a majority (80%) responded that they need better tools to increase coverage.
The Harris Poll conducted the survey online, garnering responses from 127 PR pros primarily based across the U.S.
