AI can scale PR, but human judgement remains the agency’s real currency

MUMBAI: That was one of the key takeaways from IndianTelevision.com’s Campaign Chai – What’s the Tea?, an invite-only leadershipdiscussion that brought together senior communications and PR leaders to discuss “The Next Big Idea: Rethinking PR, Digital & Influence.” The discussion was moderated by Anil Wanvari, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, IndianTelevision.com and joined by esteemed speakers: Vishaal Shah, Founder, Moe’s Art; Mausam Shah, Founder, Maars Communicates; Vikram Kharvi, CEO, Bloomingdale PR; Parull Gossain, Film & Entertainment Publicist; Tanya Shandilya, Vice President, West Head, Kaizzen; Sangya Lakhanpal, Associate Director, Pitchfork Partners; and Prashant Golecha, Independent PR Consultant.

The panel explored where AI is already delivering value across communications and where human expertise continues to be non-negotiable.

The distinction was particularly sharp when the discussion moved from execution to judgement.

AI can help monitor conversations, identify negative coverage, draft responses, build lists and accelerate routine processes. But deciding whether a response should be issued, what should be said and who should say it remains a human responsibility. One speaker argued that AI should be treated more like a mentor or assistant rather than an autonomous decision-maker. 

Another recurring idea was that agencies need to rethink what they are actually charging clients for.

If technology makes execution faster and cheaper, the value of agencies increasingly lies in strategy, experience, counselling, crisis management, nuance and judgement. One participant pointed to advisory work as a particularly valuable service precisely because it is rooted in experience and an understanding of the communications ecosystem. 

The panel also questioned the assumption that AI is automatically inexpensive.

Behind many AI systems sits significant human labour, infrastructure and expertise. The discussion challenged the perception that because certain AI tools are freely accessible to users, the technology itself is inherently cheap. 

For communications professionals, this makes upskilling critical.

Understanding how AI platforms work, what information they consume and how prompts influence their outputs will increasingly become part of the communications skill set. The panel also highlighted the need for agencies to build talent capable of working with data and AI rather than treating the technology as something separate from the communications function. 

But the AI conversation extended beyond internal agency operations.

Search itself is changing. Consumers are increasingly moving from conventional keyword searches towards conversational queries and AI-generated answers. That means brands need to think about how they are represented across the wider information ecosystem rather than focusing exclusively on traditional search rankings.

The panel noted that authoritative third-party sources can influence how brands surface in large language models, making credible coverage and digital presence increasingly important. 

The shift from Google to generative AI does not necessarily mean that the basic principles of discoverability have disappeared. Instead, the way people express intent has become more contextual.

A consumer may no longer search simply for a destination or product. They may describe exactly what they want, for whom and under what circumstances. That richer intent changes the way information is surfaced and creates new challenges for brands trying to remain discoverable. 

This also makes consistency increasingly important.

If PR, social, content, influencer and other communication functions operate in silos and produce contradictory narratives, brands may find it harder to establish a coherent digital identity. The panel argued for integrated communication and consistent messaging across channels to make brands easier to understand and discover. 

Ultimately, the discussion suggested that AI will not eliminate the need for PR professionals. It will change what clients expect them to contribute.

Execution may increasingly be automated or accelerated. Judgement, context and strategic counsel become the differentiators.