Global PR Experts Call for Greater Accountability in AI-Driven Communication
International public relations scholars have called for a strategic repositioning of the profession as artificial intelligence increasingly reshapes communication, public trust, influence and accountability across societies.
The experts argued that public relations practitioners must move beyond managing organisational messages to playing a more active role in shaping responsible AI governance, strengthening media literacy and ensuring human accountability for technology-driven decisions.
The call emerged from an international roundtable convened by the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) during the recent European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Congress in Málaga, Spain.
The session, titled “The Strategic Repositioning of PR in AI Governance,” was organised by the IPRA AI Chapter in collaboration with EUPRERA and brought together leading communication scholars from Europe and the United States.
Participants included Professor Anne Gregory of the University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom; Professor Dejan Verčič of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Associate Professor Ganga Dhanesh of the University of Maryland, United States; and Professor Ana Adi of Quadriga University of Applied Sciences, Germany. The discussion was moderated by Dr Lea-Ann Germinder, U.S. Representative of the IPRA AI Chapter.
IPRA AI Chapter Chair Svetlana Stavreva said the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence was fundamentally changing how people communicate, establish trust, exercise influence and assign accountability.
“Public relations cannot remain on the sidelines of AI governance,” Stavreva said. “Our profession has a vital role in ensuring technology serves people, strengthens informed public dialogue and supports responsible decisions.”
The discussions will contribute to IPRA Gold Paper No. 20, titled “Trust and Influence in the Age of AI,” which is examining the evolving responsibilities of public relations practitioners in AI governance.
While approaching the subject from different perspectives, the scholars broadly agreed on the need for stronger public engagement, improved AI and media literacy, faster responses to misinformation and clear human responsibility for decisions involving artificial intelligence.
Verčič highlighted the unprecedented speed of AI-enabled communication and warned that visibility alone no longer guarantees credibility.
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“The basic question is not who sees you, but who takes you seriously,” he said.
Gregory argued that the growing competition for attention risks allowing clickability to overshadow truth and reliability. Regarding AI as an actor rather than simply a communication tool, she called on organisations to invest in people as well as technology and rethink the human role in increasingly automated communication environments.
Dhanesh stressed the need for communication practitioners to look beyond narrow organisational interests and consider their wider responsibilities to society. She called for increased critical thinking and healthy scepticism among citizens, warning that transparency alone does not automatically generate trust.
“Transparency is not synonymous with trust,” she said.
Adi, meanwhile, advocated stronger ethical accountability and greater understanding of communication principles beyond the public relations profession.
“We should maybe, looking forward, not worry so much about teaching AI to comms people, but rather ensuring that we teach comms to everybody else,” she said.
Germinder said the purpose of the roundtable was not to force agreement but to gather diverse international perspectives for the forthcoming Gold Paper.
She noted that although the four scholars differed on whether AI fundamentally changes communication and on how quickly organisations should adopt new technologies, their discussions converged on the importance of strengthening society’s capacity to evaluate information and holding organisations accountable for AI-related decisions.
The Málaga session forms part of a series of international consultations contributing to Gold Paper No. 20. The initiative is examining challenges, emerging approaches and practical recommendations for communication leaders worldwide. The recording and edited transcript of the roundtable have been submitted to the IPRA AI Chapter and the Gold Paper’s lead author.
Established in 1955, IPRA is a global network for public relations professionals and publishes Gold Papers on major issues affecting the profession. It also administers the Golden World Awards.
EUPRERA is an autonomous organisation promoting research, education and professional practice in strategic communication across Europe. Its 2026 Annual Congress was held in Málaga from 16 to 19 September under the theme, “Regenerating Public Relations and Strategic Communication in the Face of the New Global Order.”
By PRNigeria
