It is that time of year when we look back at what has unfolded and cast an eye forward to what might come next, and this year is no exception. The pace of change in artificial intelligence has been so rapid that, as ever, society has struggled to keep up.
In this short reflection, I’m touching on some of the themes we have explored together in the courses I lead for our AI and PR Capability Pathway. The first video is a 60-day review I originally created for an earlier session on Understanding AI in PR, designed to help people get to grips with what is happening and what they need to be thinking about. The second is an audio walk-through of the shift to agentic AI and the challenges that lie ahead, but it is mostly a reflection on how far we have come.
Here, at the edge of the old year and on the threshold of the next, it feels like a bridge between two eras—one we are leaving behind and one we are still shaping.
This next extract comes from Understanding AI in PR, which is available on demand. It gives you practical guidance on how to put AI to work in real communication environments. This audio guide and graphic walks along the road we have travelled with agentic AI this year and what we should be preparing for as we look ahead.
The bottom line is that we cannot stand still. On the road to future developments, we need to keep learning, stay curious and deepen our understanding of what this technology means for our organisations, our communities, our families and ourselves. The growing shift towards tighter regulation in some parts of the world is welcome. In those areas where regulation is minimal or ignored, we have a duty of care to act as advocates and press our legislators to safeguard the public interest. At the moment, too much of this technology is driven by profit rather than human progress.
Do join me on the Road to the Future next year and sign up for PR Knowledge Hub as a Platinum subscriber, or enrol in individual courses. If I say so myself, you will not find better value elsewhere: a 12-month subscription to continuous professional development costs less than a single course offered by other providers.
I hope to see you there. In the meantime, I hope these extracts whet your appetite and reinforce the message that now is the hour. You need to keep up, because the risk of being left behind is very real.
