AI Energizes Communicators' Relationship with Work

NEW RESEARCH FROM WE COMMUNICATIONS AND USC ANNENBERG CENTER FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS FINDS COMMS PROS WHO FREQUENTLY USE AI ARE MORE EXCITED TO COME TO WORK

SEATTLE — Oct. 30, 2024 —

Today, WE Communications (WE) and the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations (USC Annenberg) jointly published their new report, “Energized by AI: How Technology Is Changing Communicators’ Relationship to Work.” The study reveals that communicators have moved beyond the initial fear and hype surrounding AI, with most leveraging AI in their daily work, making them more excited about what they do.

The survey, which included over 600 communications professionals, explores how AI is reshaping the communications landscape and how individuals and organizations are adapting to its transformation. Key among the findings is that initial fears about AI have fallen, and an impactful new benefit has emerged: Communicators who use AI more frequently are 93% more likely to say they feel valued for the work they do.

“Our latest research highlights how AI is not just transforming the communications field, it’s bringing more meaning and value to our work,” said Lindsey Bastani, executive vice president in WE Communications’ Technology sector. “What’s exciting to us is that the research suggests a connection between AI use and team culture — that the technology can help communicators discover new ways to create and find inspiration in their work,” Bastani added.

Key insights from the new study include:

• AI drives engagement and efficiency: Initial AI fears have diminished, with two-thirds of communicators using AI frequently. Additionally, 95% have a positive outlook on AI, 70% believe it improves their work quality and 73% say it helps them work more quickly.
• Company environment cultivates AI engagement: Encouragement from employers and freedom to work with AI tools are the strongest predictors of AI success. Notably, 77% of director-and-above and 67% of below-director communicators report having autonomy in how AI supports their work, and 56% of those below director level and 45% of director-and-above communicators have AI-related performance goals.
• There is a need for enhanced AI training. The research shows that 73% of communicators believe their companies could offer more AI training, underscoring the need for ongoing education and support. 
• AI’s full potential remains untapped. AI’s most evident uses remain supreme, suggesting communicators are still not using AI to its fullest potential. The most common use cases among communicators are content creation (54%), data analysis (40%) and background research (37%). Media relations (24%), coverage reporting (20%) and measuring PR impact (16%) are the least common.
• Rapid pace of change remains a barrier. Nearly half of respondents cite keeping up with AI developments as their biggest challenge. Despite 76% reporting increased knowledge about AI compared to last year, 64% still find it difficult to stay abreast of the constant influx of new AI tools, updates and regulatory news.
• Fears have fallen, but so has hype. Compared to a year ago, communicators are less concerned about issues like factual errors, misinformation and algorithmic bias. Yet, half as many expect AI to remove tedium from their work as compared with last year. In tandem, concerns about AI’s financial burden have risen 73%.

“As AI becomes a better-understood resource, it’s less feared,” said Gretchen Ramsey, executive vice president of digital experiences, insight and analytics for Microsoft at WE. “Communicators who aren’t seeing enough value to integrate the tools into their day-to-day work are missing out on some of AI’s less obvious and more powerful uses. For example, using AI to analyze enterprise-wide data can deliver insight specific to a team, topic or challenge.”

To help teams act on the data and foster a culture of AI adoption, WE included key actions from its AI Adoption Playbook in the report, including tips for building an AI-ready culture, developing AI habits, creating an AI-adoption infrastructure and expanding AI use cases.

“The data underscores the transformative power of AI in the communications field,” said Fred Cook, director of USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations. “What we’re seeing is the end of experimentation and the beginnings of application.”

ABOUT THE REPORT
Jointly published by WE and USC Annenberg, the report “Energized by AI: How Technology Is Changing Communicators’ Relationship to Work” is based on a survey of over 600 communications professionals located in the United States. The survey, conducted by Qualtrics and USC Annenberg, asked respondents about their attitudes regarding AI’s value for the communications industry and the level of impact it will have in the immediate future.

ABOUT WE
WE is one of the largest independent communications agencies in the world. We’re all about people — both our clients and employees — and we believe in the power of communications to move audiences to positive action. Women-founded, women-led and fiercely independent, WE has spent more than four decades helping world-class brands tell technology-led transformation stories that shift perceptions and change behavior.

Our global reach includes a presence in more than 24 cities, partner networks that expand our footprint and client capabilities, and a team of more than 1,400 media and content strategists, creatives and data scientists across our technology, health and consumer sectors. Our work with global brands like Microsoft, McDonald’s and Volvo has been recognized by Cannes Lions, PRovoke Media SABRE Awards and PRWeek Awards, just to name a few.

For more information, press only: Kara Kraft, WE, (503) 443-7143, karak@we-worldwide.com