Will public relations managers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Public relations managers score 54 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 75%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 15% outright, and 10% stays with people.
- 15% AI can do it
- 75% AI helps
- 10% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 83% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 20 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 15 and leaves 2 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Write interesting and effective press releases, prepare information for media kits, and develop and maintain company internet or intranet web pages. Press releases and web copy are core LLM writing work. | 75% AI can do it |
| Observe and report on social, economic, and political trends that might affect employers. Media monitoring and trend summaries are well suited to AI. | 70% AI can do it |
| Respond to requests for information about employers' activities or status. Drafting replies to routine information requests is straightforward. | 65% AI can do it |
| Draft speeches for company executives and arrange interviews and other forms of contact for them. AI drafts speeches well from notes; scheduling interviews is routine. | 60% AI helps |
| Maintain company archives. Digital records are easy to index; physical archives need hands. | 55% AI helps |
| Design and edit promotional publications, such as brochures. AI drafts and edits copy; design and sign-off stay human. | 50% AI helps |
| Identify main client groups and audiences, determine the best way to communicate publicity information to them, and develop and implement a communication plan. AI speeds audience research and plan drafting; strategy stays human. | 50% AI helps |
| Evaluate advertising and promotion programs for compatibility with public relations efforts. AI can check campaigns for message consistency and gaps. | 45% AI helps |
| Manage communications budgets. AI handles spreadsheet tracking and forecasts; approvals stay human. | 45% AI helps |
| Confer with labor relations managers to develop internal communications that keep employees informed of company activities. Meetings with HR are human; AI drafts internal updates. | 40% AI helps |
Show the other 10 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Develop, implement, or maintain crisis communication plans. AI can draft plans and scenarios; leaders take responsibility for final decisions. | 40% AI helps |
| Formulate policies and procedures related to public information programs, working with public relations executives. AI drafts policy text; executives set direction and approve. | 40% AI helps |
| Assign, supervise, and review the activities of public relations staff. People management needs leaders; AI assists with review drafts. | 35% AI helps |
| Manage in-house communication courses. AI can build course outlines; live delivery needs people. | 35% AI helps |
| Facilitate consumer relations or the relationship between parts of the company, such as the managers and employees, or different branch offices. Chatbots handle routine complaints; mediating disputes stays human. | 30% AI helps |
| Produce films and other video products, regulate their distribution, and operate film library. AI speeds editing and captions; filming and rights stay human. | 30% AI helps |
| Develop and maintain the company's corporate image and identity, which includes the use of logos and signage. Identity strategy is judgment heavy; AI aids concept mockups. | 25% AI helps |
| Direct activities of external agencies, establishments, or departments that develop and implement communication strategies and information programs. Directing outside agencies is relational; AI summarizes their output. | 25% AI helps |
| Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new business opportunities. Trust built in person with officials and media. | 15% Needs a person |
| Manage special events, such as sponsorship of races, parties introducing new products, or other activities the firm supports, to gain public attention through the media without advertising directly. Event logistics and live guest handling are in person. | 15% Needs a person |
How public relations managers compare
All occupations (923)
Management (56)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $146,910 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 74,850 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +5.7% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Build in-person relationships with officials and media
- Manage live special events on timelines in Microsoft Project
- Track media contacts and pitch history in Salesforce
- Fact check and sign off every press release in Microsoft Word
- Hold the Accredited in Public Relations credential
- Direct outside agencies and approve their communication strategies
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about public relations managers and AI
Will AI replace public relations managers?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly press releases, web copy, and media monitoring. Relationships with officials and media, plus live events, stay with people because trust and in-person presence need a person in the room.
Which tasks of public relations managers does AI take over?
Press releases and web copy score 75 on exposure, the highest in this job, because AI drafts a release from a fact sheet in seconds. Media monitoring and trend summaries score 70, since AI scans coverage and condenses it. Routine replies to information requests score 65 and follow the same pattern.
Which tasks of public relations managers stay human?
Building relationships with officials and media scores 15 on exposure because trust is earned in person over time. Managing special events also scores 15, since guest handling and live logistics happen on site. Mediating disputes between managers and employees scores 30, and chatbots handle only routine complaints while people settle the hard ones.
How do public relations managers stay valuable?
Take responsibility for the final check on every press release in Microsoft Word, verifying each quote and fact before release. Keep media contacts current in Salesforce so each pitch rests on a relationship. Run event timelines in Microsoft Project and handle guests on site. Review agency output in SharePoint before sign-off, and hold the Accredited in Public Relations credential.
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