PR Futurist | Stuart Bruce | Purposeful Relations - 🚀 PR Futurist #92 | Misinformation | AI photos | Oprah Winfrey

Welcome

Back to school

The weather where I am in northern England tells me that summer is over, and autumn (Fall) is upon us. Before it is I've a special request. Please take a few minutes to do our survey on how PR and communications professionals think about and use AI and technology. The results will be published by PRovoke Media in October. You could win a pass to the PRovoke Global Summit.

It's a jam-packed edition of PR Futurist with research on why we're misinformed about misinformation, why we can't trust photos, Oprah Winfrey on AI, McKinsey on why employees are ahead of employers on AI and TIME's 100 most influential people in AI.

We've also got a list of the top 100 AI apps for consumers and some fascinating case studies on AI use.

News

Still time for you to complete the global CommTech survey with PRovoke Media

There's still time for you or your colleagues to complete our global survey on AI and communication technology. Our Global CommTech Report in partnership with PRovoke Media will be launched at the ICCO Summit in Istanbul on 9-10 October.

Everyone completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a pass for the PRovoke Global Summit in Washington DC.

You can complete the survey here.

Stuart Bruce

Crisis communication

Are we misinformed about misinformation?

The popular narrative is we are awash with misinformation threatening democracies and even the world. The reality might be somewhat different. Research shows that misinformation only accounts for a small fraction of online traffic and exposure. The audience for fake news is a tiny minority, often conservative-leaning and highly engaged with political news.

What we need is a nuanced approach to misinformation as lies among a small minority can still cause harm, especially if they lead to violence. Coordinated disinformation attacks pose a serious threat to democratic processes. The answer is for companies and governments to take a focused approach on defensive measures.

Stuart Bruce

If we can't trust photos as evidence, what can we trust?

Have you had a play with Google's new Pixel 9 mobile? Its AI features are astounding. Not least its ability to edit (or manipulate, depending on your perspective) photos. This article asks what we do now that the photograph is now meaningless as evidence. We are not prepared.

Stuart Bruce

AI, digital and social

Oprah Winfrey to host 'AI and the Future of Us' with Bill Gates and Sam Altman

AI can't get more mainstream than a one-hour special by Oprah Winfrey. She's taking a deep dive into AI on Thursday 12 September with AI and the Future of Us, It will feature conversations with Bill Gates and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and more.

Stuart Bruce

Bill Gates, who could afford an private army of researchers uses AI to do his research

The premise of this article is to alarm us because Bill Gates using AI for research and AI hallucinates or gets things wrong. Are we seriously meant to believe that every human researcher gets everything right, never takes shortcuts or never makes anything up? Get real.

The reality is that fact checking, and due diligence is needed with human or AI research.

Stuart Bruce

Venezuelan journalists use AI avatars as being on camera is too dangerous

Broadcasters using AI avatars to read news isn't new. The first example I saw was from South Korea in 2019. Now Venezuelan journalists are using AI avatars because after the disputed election and media crackdown they consider it safer than being on camera.

Stuart Bruce

Democrats use AI in effort to win with Latino and Black voters

AI didn't figure heavily in the UK general election so it will be interesting to see how it figures in the US presidential election. The Democratic Party is using experimental tech to persuade voters of color to choose Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.

Stuart Bruce

Research and reports

Employee use of AI is way ahead of corporate understanding of AI

This McKinsey research explores how many employees are adopting generative AI at work, but companies are struggling to follow suit. It says to capture value from current momentum, businesses must transform their processes, structures, and approach to talent.

Stuart Bruce

Exploring AI for public good

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has commissioned influential and inspiring thinkers to explore the potential for AI to generate public good. It's interesting to see both optimistic and pessimistic views shared alongside each other.

Stuart Bruce

TIME's 100 most influential people in AI

This is the list of the great and the good who made in into the 2024 TIME100 AI list of the most influential people in artificial intelligence. It's quite US and English language centric. Many of the names are familiar, and some are surprising. Is a US senator really more influential on AI than an EU commissioner or UK government minister? Doubtful is the answer.

Stuart Bruce

Chief communications officers are expanding their remit

New research shows that CCOs, chief communication officers, are increasingly taking on broader remits. Some of these are genuine expansions such as human resources, but others reflect the confusion around what communications, public relations and corporate affairs actually mean as well as the misunderstanding about the difference between marketing and public relations.

Stuart Bruce

The top 100 generative AI apps for consumers

One of the tips we give clients is that before you delve (I wrote this, but delve is often a giveaway word that content has been written using AI) into using AI tools for work you should experiment personally.

We often advise signing up to free tools using personal accounts and playing with them for hobbies or interests. This way you to develop skills and experience that will be transferable when you start to use them more for work.

This is a handy list of the top 100 generative AI apps for consumers. We don't recommend you play with them all, but take a look to see the variety and if any tickle your fancy.

Stuart Bruce

Professional practice

The future of middle managers in the era of gen AI

An engaging, and thankfully not too long podcast, on the future of middle managers including the impact of AI.

Generative AI is often seen as taking over or being used for tasks typically done by entry level people. But that isn't the case as it's often even more applicable to managerial or senior roles. It has the potential to significantly impact the role of middle managers. AI can help managers by automating administrative tasks or more advanced support such as providing coaching insights. However, it makes the case that managers [and all colleagues] need to be supported by leaders to adapt to the changes brought about by generative AI.

Stuart Bruce

How will the EU’s AI Act impact marketers

The EU's AI Act is the world’s first comprehensive piece of AI regulation. This article takes a look at some of what it potentially means for communications professionals.

Stuart Bruce

Free PR ethics masterclass from the World Communication Forum Association in Davos

The World Communication Forum Association in Davos is running a free masterclass on PR ethics - Building a 'Speak Up' culture. It is delivered by WCFA executive board member Mary Beth West.

Issues to be covered include:

Understanding misconduct trends: explore the rise in unethical practices across various sectors and how they impact PR.
Maintaining communication ethics: practical tips on resisting disinformation and corporate pressures while staying true to ethical principles. Supporting ethical leadership: how PR can help leaders uphold high ethical standards. Case studies: insights from real-world scandals, such as the Boeing 737 Max crashes and the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal.

The webinar is at 1pm BST on Tuesday 10 September.

Stuart Bruce

EU AI Act requires AI literacy

One aspect of the EU AI Act that needs more attention is the requirement for "providers and deployers" of AI systems to ensure "a sufficient level of AI literacy of their staff". The inclusion of 'deployers' mean that employers asking employees to use AI need to provide training and support.

Law firm Burgess Salmon explains more.

Stuart Bruce

Case studies

Barnsley Council invests in 2,000 Copilot licences

The Local Government Association has created a useful bank of case studies about how local councils are already using and benefitting from AI.

One example is Barnsley Council which has deployed Microsoft Copilot on a large scale. It has expanded from an initial 300 to 2,000 licenses. This is significant because local councils' finances are extremely stretched as many have lost half their budgets over the last decade. They can only invest in Copilot if they see it making significant efficiencies and improvements to justify the return on investment.

Stuart Bruce

NatWest launches A-powered 'Ask Archie' for internal comms

NatWest is using an AI virtual assistant called 'Ask Archie' to manage and answer employee queries.

Stuart Bruce