The debate over artificial intelligence has never been hotter. While some see ChatGPT and similar tools as a revolutionary opportunity, others see an existential threat to humanity — and to their jobs. Last winter, fears of AI taking over were particularly palpable in the corridors of newsrooms and PR agencies.

But in this article, we don’t want to focus on the potential AI Armageddon. Instead, we’re asking: How can journalists and PR professionals harness artificial intelligence in their day-to-day work? What kinds of support can the technology provide? And what needs to change at a structural level to make this work?

The Potential of ChatGPT and Similar Tools

AI systems will fundamentally change the way journalists and PR professionals work. That much is certain.

Even now, the technology can write automated reports, personalize news consumption, and support research by analyzing large amounts of data. It’s like a new colleague who somehow knows everything, always has an answer to every question, and has an impressive knack for bringing information together.

Some newsrooms and agencies have already integrated it into their day-to-day operations — to write weather, sports, or traffic reports, create subtitles for audio or video content, or tailor stories to users’ demographic interests. Some journalists are even having ChatGPT draft entire articles, leaving them to simply polish the copy and add their own style at the end.

What does this mean for the industry?

ChatGPT and similar tools are therefore efficiency boosters in many respects, which can be particularly useful for fast-paced reporting. In theory, that sounds great: By taking tedious but necessary tasks off their hands, AI could give PR professionals and journalists more time for creative work — such as conducting more personal interviews or pursuing investigative research. Back to the roots, so to speak — with AI.

That sounds good at first, but it would require media companies to keep their publishing schedules unchanged despite the time savings enabled by AI. If they do, another potential problem emerges: jobs could gradually be cut, while the remaining media professionals become completely overwhelmed by the accumulation of more demanding tasks.

To prevent this, company leadership in particular needs to step up. So why not proactively start a dialogue with your employers and ask them for their concrete AI roadmaps for the coming years? How do they plan to respond to these developments? What are they going to do to protect jobs? And to what extent are they investing in the relevant training and professional development?

ChatGPT has an opinion on this, too.

We asked our colleague ChatGPT itself about the topic — and we have to say: this AI is pretty self-aware. Here is its response, unchanged:

“ChatGPT can pose potential risks to PR and journalism if used improperly or unethically, such as spreading misinformation, reinforcing biases and stereotypes, job losses, and the loss of the human perspective. It is important to use ChatGPT with caution and ethics to minimize these risks and preserve the integrity and quality of PR and journalism.”

These factors are not insignificant. Quite the opposite: if they aren’t addressed, things can become genuinely dangerous. In short, AI still needs humans to deliver quality work.

Our conclusion:

Don’t treat this as an individual issue!

AI has many strengths and, in theory, definitely has the potential to positively transform our working world. But making that happen requires one thing above all: openness and accountability at the structural level and among leadership teams. It also requires journalists and PR professionals who are open to the idea of getting help from a robot — so they can reclaim time for the things that probably made them choose their profession in the first place.