The rise of AI-generated content is reshaping the landscape of journalism and PR, creating both opportunities and significant challenges. As journalists and PR professionals increasingly encounter AI-crafted copy in the media, concerns about originality, trust and the client-PR-journalist relationship are growing.
This blog explores how AI is impacting the language of media and what PR professionals can do to address these issues while maintaining authenticity, creativity and trust.
Innovatively, meticulously, pivotal, intricate …do any of these words make you grimace or set off ‘AI’ alarm bells in your head? For those that consume a lot of news, research papers, peer reviews and thought leadership – like us PR folk – the answer is more than likely yes.
A recent case study looking at AI-modified content at scale from the National Sciences Foundation found a significant increase in the usage of these terms – along with a bunch of other equally overused adjectives and verbs – in peer reviews submitted to top AI conferences.
Compared against their baseline frequency in peer reviews known to be written by humans – in other words pre-ChatGPT times – the probability of ‘commendable’ appearing showed a 880% increase, ‘intricate’ a 1,020% increase and ‘meticulous’ a whopping 3,370% increase.
The rise in the frequency of these words is not exclusive to peer reviews either. In Cision’s 2024 State of the Media Report, they too examined the usage of some of these terms, but in news coverage in Q1 of 2020 and Q1 of 2024. The results mimicked the National Sciences Foundation’s findings; over the past four years, ‘Intricate’ and ‘Unwavering’ news is up 20,000%, with a notable spike seen in January 2023.
Considering ChatGPT was initially released in November 2022, with Google’s Gemini arriving on the scene just a year later, one thing is certain – AI has very quickly and significantly impacted the language used in content across the internet.
Why the media is starting to resist AI-generated content
Whether we blame PRs for this, or clients experimenting with GenAI when creating their own PR content, we have a looming problem on our hands. Apart from the risk of what researchers are calling ‘model collapse’ (as AI trains on AI-generated content) and the sad fact that the diversity and originality of language is slowly diminishing, journalists are starting to revolt.
Going back to Cision’s State of the Media Report, we can see that 26% of the 3,000 journalists surveyed globally named ‘the emergence of AI’ as one of the biggest challenges the journalism industry has faced in the past year.
Aside from it affecting their own craft – we’re talking everything from plagiarism and fact checking issues, to content flooding and reduced demand for their services – it’s also becoming a challenge when PR is brought into the mix.
For the journalist, who so often relies on a well-crafted press release, an insightful industry comment or a contributed thought leadership from a subject matter expert, being unwittingly fed AI-generated content (that’s becoming increasingly difficult to spot) is a huge issue that could spell trouble for the sacred client-PR-journalist relationship. And here’s why:
- Your copy may be rejected by the media
- You could damage the relationship with your target audience
- Brand accuracy, tone and deep insight is not there yet
- The need for originality in a competitive market
We explore each of these issues in more detail below.
Your copy may be rejected by the media
Because outlets are understandably cautious about publishing AI-generated material due to concerns around originality, credibility and quality, publications across the board are using AI detection tools to check any contributed content from PR agencies and businesses that they work with. As a result, even if AI-created copy appears adequate, it may still be flagged and rejected by the very publications a client wishes to be featured in. This is potentially damaging both for the client and the PR in terms of the relationship they have carefully built.
You could damage the relationship with your target audience
As well as putting the journalist relationship at risk, there’s also the potential to put off the very people we want reading an article – the public. Like journalists, readers have voiced concerns over the use of AI by media outlets too. Just last year, Sports Illustrated was accused of publishing AI-written articles under fake author names; a scandal that’s caused huge damage to the magazine’s reputation among its readership.
Prior to that, we also saw media conglomerate G/O Media using AI to generate content that was not only riddled with errors, but resulted in a flurry of negative press and backlash from its readers on social media, with one X user describing it as “pure corporate grossness”. If any reader – who in the world of PR is a potential customer for their client – even suspects that AI is at play, their opinion of the author, business they represent and the publication they’re featured in is all on the line.
Brand accuracy, tone and deep insight is not there yet
Outside of the challenge of keeping publications happy, there are other considerations – especially for those looking at utilising AI tools to create content for use outside of PR. GenAI often lacks the deep understanding of a brand; its values, its unique tone of voice, the intricacies of its target audience, insight about clients’ preferences and behaviours, the unique experiences of working in a particular industry. As such, using it for corporate, website or advertising copy – where deep understanding is needed to adapt the tone, structure and messaging accordingly – can result in content that’s factually incorrect or fails to capture the specific nuances of a brand’s messaging. Only a human can take pride in creating truly tailored, accurate content that aligns perfectly with your brand’s identity and resonates with your audience.
The need for originality in a competitive market
We mentioned content flooding earlier – which is down to the fact that the sheer volume of content being produced has skyrocketed. And it’s not just volume that’s the issue. Because AI tools generate text based on existing data, this is a sea of generic or uninspired content that not only makes it harder for original, well-researched journalism to stand out, but also brand content. In the competitive world of PR, original, distinctive, engaging copy is essential for any brand’s success in capturing attention and building strong connections. Again, only human writers can bring this level of creativity and innovation, ensuring content is fresh, compelling and impactful.
AI for good?
While some journalists refuse to use GenAI tools altogether – and some publishers have even banned their use – others are far more open to the technology.
In fact, nearly half the journalists surveyed for the State of the Media Report revealed they’re leveraging GenAI for their work in a number of ways, with 23% using it for research and 19% using it to help create copy outlines or early drafts. Working with it, rather than against it, is a sentiment we’ve also seen in chatting to a couple of our journalist contacts here at the agency.
“There has been a lot posted about AI of late and it seems the general feeling is one of mistrust and negativity. At present AI generated articles tend to lack a required tone of voice, creativity and personal connection. I see AI as a tool to assist with accuracy and efficiency. It can help with research, spelling, grammar and condensing down copy which can save businesses time and money when used effectively. However, articles, specifically in my line of work, need that human element to relate and resonate. As AI tech rapidly evolves I think we need to reassess our attitudes to work with it rather than against.” – JoJo Iles, Editor, Journalist and Content Management at FashionCapital / Fashion-Enter Ltd
We must also remember that journalists and PRs alike have been utilising AI-powered tools such as Otter, Grammarly and even Microsoft Word’s spell checker for years now, all of which have undoubtedly saved us time and money.
Authenticity in PR still matters
At the end of the day, GenAI tools are undoubtedly appealing and will continue to find their uses as the technology develops. And yes, they’re worth exploring and implementing in our day-to-day working lives. But from a PR perspective, we must be careful. On their own, they cannot deliver the level of originality and authenticity that our clients need to help them stand out, and there are a number of serious risks for those using it too precariously.
At Luminous PR, it’s a shift that’s led us to a few internal changes editorially to ensure our client’s articles, comments and copy that we supply remain original, fresh and factually accurate. We’re asking clients to be honest in their use of AI and are now using our own AI detection tools in our writing process. It’s a step intended to protect our clients’ reputation with the media and to ensure that we are preserving the quality of the output from their brand, as well as maintaining strong relationships ourselves.
If you’d like to discuss any editorial needs as part of your PR strategy, please feel free to reach out.
By Jennifer Hood
Jennifer is Head of Editorial at Luminous PR and is the ideal person for helping brands and business leaders figure out what they want to say, and how to say it well.
