As the owner of a public relations agency, I find the moment we’re in incredibly exciting. AI is transforming every industry, creating new challenges for our clients but also unprecedented opportunities. For public relations, this is a defining moment. Industry forecasts predict PR budgets will double by 2027, making this a true golden age for the profession.
Turning Back The Clock
Before launching Media Minefield in 2010, I spent more than a decade as a TV news reporter and anchor. In many ways, this moment feels like stepping into the DeLorean and going “Back to the Future.” While AI is introducing powerful new tools and efficiencies, it is also elevating the value of public relations. The work we’ve always done—building credibility, creating meaningful connections and shaping public perception—is now directly influencing how brands appear in AI-powered search results. In a world where AI is changing how people discover and trust information, PR has never been more important.
The Return Of (Digital) Relationship Building
Let’s start with the importance of building connections. In public relations, we are in the business of moving people to make decisions by building credibility and trust. We do this by tapping into human emotion. Even when AI is a stakeholder, the principles of connection that have always worked remain timeless. We need to make people feel something, and we need to build connections to build trust. These connections are built online and require human vulnerability. Social media enables people across all levels of an organization to share at scale.
When I speak or talk with executives, this concept is often scary. The majority of them tell me they prefer one-on-one conversations over posting about their lives online, which allows anyone, anywhere to learn about them. Once they can move past the fear and reframe this as an opportunity, incredible connections can be made.
Several years ago, I met Mark, the CEO of a prominent bulk butter supplier, at an event where I shared my insights on the power and benefit of executives becoming “Social CEOs.” He was leery, but also believed the research about the positive impact his social media activity could have on his business, community and stakeholders. Now, several years later, Mark says there isn’t a room he walks into where someone doesn’t mention his social media presence and a connection they have to it. Mark has done what he’s always done—inspire and move leaders to a people-first strategy. But by bringing that tried-and-true relationship-building tactic online, he’s built connections much more quickly than if he had limited his exposure to one-on-one meetings, phone calls or small gatherings.
When a business is trying to solve a problem, whether it’s hiring or retention or the launch of a new product or preparing for a sale event, people and leaders must be part of the strategy. And the strategy must consider people who are operating in a fully digital, searchable environment. PR practitioners are uniquely positioned to combine human-centered storytelling with modern technology and behaviors.
The Renewed Value Of Earned Media
The other reason everything old in PR is new again is that AI search results value credibility, authority and good, old-fashioned legitimate news coverage. Earned media, the kind of media you can’t buy, is valued when a user asks a question in an environment where a machine is determining the results. In fact, it is cited more than any other source in AI-generated search results, driving 84% of all AI citations.
Consider that ChatGPT just hit 1 billion monthly active users. Many people don’t realize they are making decisions based on AI-generated results. Some companies are seeing fewer website visits because we are becoming accustomed to trusting the narrative that AI has generated. In fact, 68% of Google searches now end without a click.
PR is uniquely positioned to control the signals that influence search results by returning to our tool kit of strategies and integrating them with the new opportunities offered. Earned media isn’t just newspapers, like back in the Marty McFly days; podcasts, niche media and authored articles are valuable for AI. And while today’s buyers, employees and investors have evolved, the pillars of storytelling that make an impact haven’t changed.
Kristi’s article was originally posted in Forbes on July 29, 2026.