🚀 PR Futurist #117  13 October 2025

Twice as many Britons view AI more as an economic risk than opportunity

The Toby Blair Institute for Global Change has published a report on 'What the UK Thinks About AI: Building Public Trust to Accelerate Adoption'. It provides yet more evidence about the need for communications leaders to urgently understand the importance of social licence for AI. The poll of more than 3,700 adults also showed that lack of trust was the biggest barrier to adoption.

UK adults are more inclined to view AI as a risk for the economy (39 per cent) than an opportunity (20 per cent), according to a new poll conducted by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) and Ipsos. Moreover, 38 per cent of respondents in the same survey cite lack of trust in AI as a barrier to adoption.

Across the UK, people’s perceptions of whether AI is more of a risk or an opportunity to them personally are finely balanced. For example, 29 per cent of 45- to 54-year-olds viewed AI mainly as a risk and 27 per cent mainly as an opportunity.

There is a clear correlation between people’s confidence in using AI and their attitudes towards the technology. Of people confident in their AI skills, 66 per cent expect AI to help with parts of their job while leaving their core responsibilities intact. In contrast, only 45 per cent of people with lower confidence in their skills view AI as a supportive tool.

institute.global  

UK workers wary of AI

If you want even more evidence about why I'm constantly emphasising the importance of social licence for AI then read this research by The Guardian and Ipsos. A third of those polled do not tell bosses about use of tools and half think AI threatens the social structure. The number of people believing it has a positive effect is outweighed by those who think it does not. Only 13% openly discuss AI use with senior staff. A quarter fear colleagues would question their competence if they admitted relying on AI. A third of UK workers don’t tell bosses they use AI tools.

The Guardian says the polling appears to reflect workers uncertainty about how bosses want AI tools to be used, with many employers not offering clear guidance. There is also fear of stigma among colleagues if workers are seen to rely too heavily on the bots."

This is why it's critical to have AI policies in place and to provide training and support before imposing AI into the workplace.

theguardian.com  

Why behavioural science matters in an AI world

BIT is a private company that was spun out of the UK government's Behavioural Insights Team. It is publishing a series of reports on why behavioural science matters in an AI world. The reports focus on the fact that AI isn't just technology but is primarily about human behaviour.

That's why cultural change is the focus of much of our consultancy and training for clients to help ensure AI adoption. Yes, we help with choosing, integrating and developing the right technology but the AI adoption illusion is build it and they will come.

bi.team  

AI in In-House Communications Report 2025

I was recently asked to contribute to another new report on AI and in-house communications. This time for The Work Crowd where a summary was shared in PRWeek's new InHouse title for in-house communications professionals. You can download your copy here.

theworkcrowd.com  

Chief communications officers are absorbing more corporate functions, new report

A new report by the Observatory on Corporate Reputation (OCR) reveals chief communications officers are absorbing more corporate functions.

Sort of. Read beyond the headline and you'll see most of those functions have already been within their remit for ever. It's just that there isn't an agreed umbrella term or name for their 'remit'. Corporate affairs, brand, investor relations and public affairs have always part of the same broad function. Elements of marketing, human resources and ESG have always overlapped.

Technically I'd place them all as part of the strategic public relations function because it looks after reputations and relationships, which these are all part of. However, even if technically correct the term public relations isn't understood beyond the profession (or even within the profession!) so lots of people mistakenly think it's media relations or earned media.

Corporate affairs is my preferred umbrella term as I can't use the correct one of public relations.

Marketing and human resources are distinct disciplines in themselves. The 'Sustainability/ESG/Impact' and DEI ones make no sense whatsoever. They are all ESG. The E for environmental covers sustainability. The S for society and G for governance cover DEI.

The confusion around these areas is they can use the same tools, tactics and channels. They can all use paid media or advertising. They can all use media relations.

It's a mistake to confuse the tools and tactics with the purpose.

axios.com