It’s time for Internal Communications to step up when it comes to AI adoption in their organisations.

Nine in ten organisations are already using AI, yet fewer than four in ten have responsible AI frameworks in place. Most communicators are still applying generative AI to tactical content tasks, and just 8.2% of comms teams are playing a strategic role in AI governance.

Those are two of the standout findings in Reimagining Tomorrow: AI in PR and Communication Management, a new report published last week by the Global Alliance for PR and communication management.

Based on a global survey of 500 PR and communication professionals, the report offered a sobering view of how communicators are responding to the challenges and opportunities AI brings.

The report recommends seven actions for communicators, and five for organisations, including: developing responsible AI guidelines, investing in training, including communication teams in AI strategy, and supporting employees through upskilling and training.

It all sounds very familiar. Two years on from the CIPR’s ‘Humans Needed, More Than Ever’ report, not much has changed. We’re still seeing patchy adoption, low confidence around ethics and governance, and too few communication teams taking a strategic lead.

I get it. We’re busy. The day-to-day work doesn’t stop and AI can feel like just another thing to add to the to-do list. But, if we don’t step up to lead, there’s a risk IT may take the lead and they might not bring the same understanding of people, culture and trust that we do.

So how to start?

1. Develop ethical AI guidelines. Take the lead in shaping your organisation’s approach to responsible AI. Speak to your stakeholders and agree an approach to ethical guidelines on governance and use. Not sure where to begin? Cambridge University and the Government Communication Service have published their own guidance which you can use as a start point.

2. Become better informed about AI. The more informed you are about AI, the better positioned you’ll be to act as a trusted advisor. Read widely, attend webinars, and connect with your peers. Find out who is driving AI in your organisation, and which areas are deemed as priority. Talk to your tech teams to find out what tools are being rolled out and how they’re being used. Join a roundtable or network to share ideas and challenges with others.

3. Be intentional about your development. If you’re only using AI to clean up copy or generate first drafts, you’re barely scratching the surface. AI can support more strategic internal comms work such as digital listening, tracking employee sentiment, and identifying emerging trends. There’s a lot of AI training out there so to begin with you can get more from the tools that are already available in your organisation.

4. Prioritise listening. According to research, around half of all employees do not trust the reasons why artificial intelligence is being used in their organisation. Create space for listening so people can raise questions, voice concerns, and contribute their ideas to how AI is introduced and used. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) research involving over 5,000 workers and 2,000 firms found that when employees are actively involved in AI adoption trust grows.

5. Create clear messaging. AI adoption is not a tech challenge, it's a people one. Internal communications has a key role to play, creating clear narratives and facilitating ongoing dialogue that helps people understand why change is happening and what it means to them. AI will raise lots of questions on roles, training, and culture so partner with HR on people on culture.

Communicators have a critical role to play in the AI transition by championing responsible adoption and helping the organisation navigate AI in a way that supports and includes people. Now is the time to step up and lead the change.

Interested in learning more about PR and artificial intelligence? Then make sure you don't miss PR Masterclass: AI in PR on July 2nd.