What are the PR trends and processes that will determine the development of our profession in the period ahead? Spoiler alert: AI is taking over everything, but that’s not all we’ll be talking about in this article.
PR trend 1: The Authenticity Challenge
The biggest challenge is going to be how to establish and maintain authenticity and credibility in corporate and brand communication. Due to the increasing use of different AI applications, content creation is going to become virtually limitless. This will highly influence the attention span (going to be extremely short) and the stimulus threshold (going to increase ever higher) of consumers. Companies and brands will have to fight fiercely for the attention of people day-by-day.
Misinformation and disinformation always have been part of life. However, the current (and future) tools can provide increasing possibilities for misuse. Brands can lead the fight against these unfortunate trends: being open and transparent about the usage of different AI tools, resisting the temptation to distort reality with AI tools – these are all important steps in combatting misinformation and disinformation.
AI’s Impact on the PR trends
AI continue to have a serious influence on our industry. Basic services will become faster and more or less automated (e.g. copywriting of short-format texts, reporting etc.), strategic services will be more valuable (strategic planning etc.). New services will be born such as helping clients in the implementation of AI-based automations. On the other hand entry level jobs will be eaten by AI, and it is going to be harder for young generations to enter our industry.
The current trends will be stronger: AI is going to be a widely used tool in the automation of simple tasks and processes like reporting. At the same time, due to the rapidly increasing capacity of different AI models, AI is going to be an even more useful partner in managing complex tasks (e.g. planning and managing research projects etc.) and creating complex content pieces. AI – if used well – can develop from a simple tool to a useful and versatile working partner.
The Dual Path of Audiovisual Content
I can see two separate paths for audiovisual content. Due to the shortening attention span of consumers shorter formats (YouTube Shorts, Insta Reels, TikTok) continue to be on the increase. At the same time, longer format podcasts/vodcasts (45mins or more) also will have future. However the increasing transcribing/summarizing capacities of AI models, the actual listening time could be way shorter. People are interested to the information but quite often do not have the patience…
As for the production side, AI is also going to gain more territory. Strong content brands can effectively stay competitive, but smaller content creators could be damaged on the long run.
Thought Leadership in the AI Era
The importance of thought leadership in the era of AI is more important than ever before. Since AI models prefer authentic, credible sources when collecting information and giving answers to user request/questions, established thought leaders could be more visible than their competitors.
Current AI models also prefer traditional media, so the job of media relations is going to have an increasing role in thought leadership campaigns. AI models search answers a bit differently, so the traditional SEO-oriented content creation should be replaced by the so called GEO-oriented content production. But one thing does not change: thought leadership position will be achieved via credible and reliable content – be it an interview, op-ed piece or blog post.
Looking Ahead
These PR trends point to a fundamental transformation of our industry in 2026. While AI will undoubtedly reshape how we work, the core principles of effective communication remain unchanged: authenticity, credibility, and genuine human connection.
The corporations, brands and PR professionals who will thrive are those who embrace AI as a strategic partner while staying firmly grounded in these timeless values. The future belongs to those who can balance technological innovation with human creativity and ethical responsibility.
If you want to read a longer predistiobs report, visit Worldcom Pr Group website and download 2026 Predictions for Public Relations!
