AI is rapidly reshaping how people search, choose and trust information. At the touch of a button, consumers can find brands that offer just what they’re looking for. You’d be right in thinking there are concerns amongst industry professionals that machine judgement could overshadow human-driven communications.
But the reality is the opposite: PR is becoming more vital, not less. Algorithms are now prioritising machine-readable credibility (MRC) over traditional SEO tactics. AI is no longer impressed by cleverly woven search terms or perfectly polished websites – it wants trustworthy, consistent, authoritative information. Studies on the travel industry even showed that hotels with stunning websites were ignored in favour of those that were better reviewed, more consistently referenced, and validated across open editorial sources.
So what does this mean for PR? Visibility now increasingly depends on MRC – how algorithms interpret trust, consistency, and relevance when deciding which brands to surface. And this is precisely where PR excels. Editorial coverage, driven by human relationships, feeds the very signals AI looks for. In the new economy of trust, it pays to invest in storytelling.
PR’s long-standing strengths map directly onto what AI now rewards: authentic storytelling that humanises organisations, making messages memorable, and shaping how audiences understand events and initiatives. These stories create emotional resonance for people, but now they also serve as data signals for algorithms. When credible outlets share consistent information about a brand, AI reads that as authority. When real human experiences are shared through trusted media channels, AI recognises those narratives as trustworthy. This is not something SEO can replicate, and it is certainly not something AI can fabricate on its own.
PR teams play a critical role in crafting the content AI elevates. They develop relatable, human-centred stories for media, social platforms, and campaigns – stories with real stakes, real people, and real outcomes. These narratives can spotlight customer stories, expert insights, and community impact. They provide journalists with credible, newsworthy information and build relationships that result in meaningful editorial coverage – the strongest trust signal available to both audiences and algorithms.
Crucially, PR provides what AI can’t: human creativity, empathy, and relationship-building. These are the qualities that help organisations navigate complexity, build trust, and communicate authentically. AI may decide who deserves to be found, but humans still decide what is worth saying.
In a world where visibility depends on narrative control, PR remains not just relevant but indispensable.
Notes
Stewart, James (2025) ‘Why Stories Still Matter’, Roxstars by Roxhill Media, 17th November