New research from Cision has found a significant disconnect between leadership and staff regarding operational agility, even as 91% of practitioners embraced generative AI. 

The Inside PR 2026 report, which surveyed nearly 600 PR professionals across the UK and US, revealed that 60% of teams viewed the shifting media landscape as their primary challenge.

Guy Abramo, chief executive of Cision, said: “Inside PR 2026 shows a profession undergoing a profound evolution. PR teams are being challenged to move faster, prove impact, and integrate AI responsibly—while continuing to deliver the creativity and narrative craftsmanship that make communications meaningful. The teams that can blend human insight with intelligent automation will be the ones who define the next era of PR.”

While 33% of executives believed their organisations were “extremely agile,” only 14% of employees agreed. This agility gap was largely attributed to team size and organisational design, along with slow approval processes. 

The study highlighted that 58% of the industry faced increased resource pressure, which rose to 67% among managers. Because of these constraints, there was a growing demand for PR to prove its commercial value. While brand awareness remained the top priority for 36% of respondents, executive leaders and agencies were significantly more focused on revenue and ROI than in-house teams.

AI moved to the centre of the PR workflow, with 91% of professionals using generative tools. The most common applications included idea generation at 73% and writing and content refinement at 68%. Despite this technological shift, the report suggested AI was enhancing—not replacing—traditional skills. Storytelling remained the most in-demand skill for 2026 (59%), followed by media relations and strategic planning.

Download the full report here