PR in the Age of AI: Why Original Thinking Has Never Been More Valuable

Right now, AI can likely generate more content in an hour than most people could write in a year. Every day, thousands of content creators, brand marketers and “thought leaders” are churning out perfectly polished, neatly structured, two-sentence paragraphs that all sound suspiciously alike.

And that’s exactly the problem.

Social platforms (especially LinkedIn) are suddenly flooded with content, but almost none of it feels truly human. And while AI can save us time and even give us a helpful first draft, it can’t do the one thing the media, and audiences, crave the most: original thinking.

As someone who has spent my working life in newsrooms, interviewing people, spotting stories and helping companies and their CEOs communicate clearly, the rise of AI hasn’t made human insight and commentary less valuable. It’s made it more important than ever.

If you want to stand out, the answer isn’t to shout louder. It’s to think deeper.

AI content is good, but it’s not compelling.

AI is brilliant at structure, consistency and speed.  It’s not brilliant at:

• Understanding the nuance of a situation
• Taking a stand and having a strong opinion
• Telling a story that hasn’t been told before or reframing a story to give it a different slant
• Understanding what a journalist cares about
• Choosing the one angle that is actually news

AI is built on what’s already been said. The media is interested in what hasn’t.

This is why PR built on templated messaging or generic insights simply doesn’t work.  The bar has been lifted.

The rise of “AI sameness” is your opportunity. Noise is easy to cut through when you have something genuinely new to say.

When everyone’s content starts sounding the same, the same phrases, the same structure, even the same adjectives a real human perspective becomes incredibly powerful.

Authentic communication, clear position, a brave opinion, a lived experience, a unique lens on the world – these are the differences between just another LinkedIn post and a thought leader people actually remember.

Journalists still want what they’ve always wanted

Despite all the tech, journalists are exactly the same as they were when I was in the newsroom (many years ago now). They want a story. A real one. Based on real experience. From someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.

AI can’t give a journalist the confidence that you’ve lived the problem you’re commenting on. It can’t show scars, failures, lessons learned the hard way, or the intuition that comes from years in an industry. But you can.

If you want coverage in an AI-saturated world, the formula is simple:

Real experience + a point of view + something useful for an audience = newsworthy.

Leaders who think for themselves will win. The most powerful communication skill right now isn’t writing. It’s thinking.  Articulating a new idea, a clear argument or a human truth will always rise above the noise (most of which has been generated by an algorithm).

If you’re relying on AI to do all your thinking for you, you aren’t saving time. You’re wasting time churning out content that dilutes the very thing that makes you valuable – your voice.

The age of AI is not the end of PR, it actually marks the rise of real PR (finally), where we shape stories that people care about. 

Historically, the lazy PR person has always pumped out templated press releases that may gain stakeholder approval but have little value to an audience.

Now more than ever, PR needs to be about shaping stories people care about.

AI can help with drafts and speed and structure, But it cannot replace unique ideas, original insight or your lived experience.

In the age of AI, the most valuable thing you can offer the world is the one thing no machine can replicate: Your original thinking.

Want to see how Profile Media can help tell your business story, and boost your AI visibility? Contact Profile Media at info@profilemedia.com.au, phone 1300 123 110 or enquire online here.