Communication Capability Pathway
AI in PR Capability Pathway

From Signals to Strategy: AI Dashboards for PR and Communication

AI-supported listening, insights, reporting and how to tackle GEO

Public sentiment shapes trust, legitimacy, reputation and the ability of organisations to operate effectively. Whether you are a public sector professional, consultancy lead, independent advisor or working hard for your not-for-profit, understanding what people are saying, feeling and sharing is an essential part of our role, acting as both sentinel and guide for our organisations.

Traditionally, gauging sentiment has relied on surveys, consultation exercises, manual monitoring, media analysis and social listening. These are still part of the picture but artificial intelligence now offers new ways to gather, compare and interpret signals and subtleties at scale, helping practitioners spot emerging issues, understand reaction and make sense of fast-moving public conversation.v

This very practical session explores how AI tools can be used to monitor sentiment and reaction across media, social platforms, search results and other public-facing channels. It looks at how these technologies actually work, what they can reveal, where they fall short and how to avoid mistaking automated summaries for genuine insight.

Participants will see practical demonstrations of AI-enabled monitoring, including how different tools collect and analyse commentary, identify emerging risks, surface patterns and help track shifts in public mood. There is the opportunity to get hands-on with the tech, and the session will also touch on the growing influence of Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO, and what it means when AI systems become part of how people find, summarise and interpret information about your organisation, issue or cause.

The focus throughout is on responsible use. Sentiment signals need context, verification and human judgement if they are to support better decision-making rather than fuel reactive responses. Participants will learn how to assess AI-generated insights, question outputs, compare tools and bring monitoring intelligence into communication, engagement, reputation and issues management.

Designed for practitioners across sectors, this course provides a clear and current overview of the options available today. You will leave with a stronger understanding of how to approach AI-supported sentiment monitoring, how to wrangle GEO as part of the wider listening environment and how to turn signals into useful, responsible communication insight.
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Session Aims

  • Understand how AI tools gather and analyse sentiment 
  • Identify different types of AI monitoring approaches and the strengths and limitations of each
  • Evaluate available tools and platforms 
  • Recognise emerging issues and patterns in public sentiment using AI-assisted analysis
  • Apply sentiment insights responsibly to inform communication, consultation and engagement strategies
  • Learn how to build dashboards to run your systems

We will cover:

The Role of Sentiment in Communication
Why sentiment matters for trust, legitimacy and social licence. How conversations and themes surface across fragmented media, social platforms and digital communities.

How AI Monitors Help
An accessible explanation of how AI systems gather and interpret signals from mainstream news coverage, commentary, social media and other digital sources.
What sentiment analysis actually measures and what it cannot measure.

Methods and Tools for AI-Enabled Monitoring
Overview of current approaches including:
 • AI-assisted situation and issues monitoring
 • Social media sentiment tracking
 • Pattern and issue detection across digital conversations
 • Emerging approaches such as real-time conversational monitoring

Practical Demonstrations
Demonstrations showing how AI tools can:
 • Collect large volumes of commentary
 • Identify sentiment patterns and themes
 • Detect emerging issues or shifts in public positions

Interpreting Sentiment Responsibly
Understanding the risks of over-reliance on automated sentiment scoring.
How to combine AI insights with professional judgement, ethical practice, stakeholder knowledge and contextual understanding.
Issues and risk monitoring and response


Live Session

6 August 2026
12pm - NZST

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