The AI-Powered PR Revolution: How to Stay Relevant, Human, and Hired

ChatGPT: Curt Doty

I recently spoke at the PRSANM focusing on AI and PR. These are some of my thoughts. Welcome to the intersection of AI and PR—where press releases get written faster than your intern can microwave their burrito, and brand crises are predicted before your CEO hits "Tweet."

I've been in the game long enough to remember the typewriter (and how good kerning mattered). Now, I'm juggling generative tools, automated dashboards, and an army of AI agents… all without losing that critical human touch. So let's break it down:

1. Media Monitoring and Sentiment Analysis:

AI doesn’t just count mentions anymore—it reads the room. It knows when the internet is praising you, roasting you, or serving you up with a side of sarcasm.

Why it matters: With real-time NLP tools, PR pros can monitor how they’re being perceived and jump into the conversation before the headline becomes the obituary.

2. Crisis Detection and Management:

AI’s pattern detection is now your early warning system. It sniffs out signals that something’s about to blow—whether it’s a customer service fail or a TikTok takedown.

Why it matters: Prevention beats apology. And with AI, your damage control goes from reactive to proactive.

3. Automated Content Creation:

Hey look, I’m using ChatGPT to help write this blog—meta, right? Tools like this are gold for knocking out first drafts, boilerplate content, or even full press kits.

Why it matters: You save time. You stay on-brand. And you reserve your brain for the juicy creative.

4. Personalized Communication at Scale:

Forget “Dear [First Name].” AI lets you segment and speak directly to micro-audiences, at scale. It’s no longer mass blast—it’s mass precision.

Why it matters: Response rates spike, and your outreach finally sounds like it was written by a human who cares (even if it wasn’t).

5. Performance Analytics and Reporting:

Dashboards that analyze everything from engagement to ROI are now powered by machine learning. The difference? You get insights, not just data.

Why it matters: You can justify your campaign spend before the CFO gets itchy.

So What About Creativity?

As an illustrator, designer and lifelong visual storyteller, I’ve never been more excited. GenAI lets me generate imagery like it’s a sketchpad on steroids. Need a blog? A podcast clip? A 9:16 vertical edit with captions and hashtags? I’m doing that in 5 minutes flat—Opus Clips, Descript, and HeyGen are my sidekicks.

The Gary Vee playbook—“Turn 1 piece of content into 26”—has become my Tuesday afternoon routine.

Authenticity Check

Here’s the rub: Authenticity is the brand currency now. I always say—don’t lead with AI. Lead with humanity. Let AI be your process, not your pitch. Keep your voice consistent. Keep the relationship human. Clients hire people, not prompts.

You wouldn’t have bragged about using a typewriter in the Mad Men era. Same rule applies here.

Creative Dilution is Real

Too many hacks stop at “good enough.” But the real creatives—the ones who survive this AI wave—are the ones who know how to edit, remix, and rethink. That’s where the human spark shines.

Real Talk: Tools I Love

  • HeyGen: Makes my avatar talk while I sip coffee.

  • Opus Clips: Edits my podcast faster than I can say “SEO.”

  • Custom GPTs: Tailored for each client’s tone, brand voice, and strategy.

Future of PR with AI?

We’re heading toward full automation of research, strategy, and even some design. But if everyone’s feeding the same prompts into the same platforms, results will become cookie-cutter. That’s where real creatives win—by infusing originality into the machine.

Closing Thought

AI won’t replace PR pros. But PR pros who use AI will replace those who don’t. Adopt to qualify. Adopt for empowerment. The displacement is coming, and RTO is the Trojan horse. If you’re not sharpening your skills now, you may be on someone’s redundancy roadmap.

Thanks to Leah Messina and Rachel Maestas for inviting me and the infamous Hailey Wilson to share our views.

If you want to revolutionize your team’s efficiency, call us

RealmIQ is an AI Consulting firm dedicated to transforming how companies operate through AI integrations. Today’s leading marketing teams thrive by automating their processes with AI. Partner with us to develop a custom automation strategy that gives you the competitive edge.

About the Author

Curt Doty, founder of CurtDoty.co, is an award winning creative director whose legacy lies in brandingproduct development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and User Experience Design. His work of entertainment branding includes Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, and TV Guide Channel.

He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Perplexity, HeyGen, Descript and OpusClips. He also runs his AI consultancy RealmIQ and companion podcast RealmIQ: Sessions on YouTube and Spotify.

He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx, Davos Worldwide, PRSANM, Robert Half, and AI Impact. He has lectured at universities including Full Sail, SCAD, Art Center College of Design, CSUN and Chapman University.

He currently serves on the board of the Godfrey Reggio Foundation and is the AI Writer for Parlay Me.

Curt Doty

Curt Doty is a former NBC Universal creative executive and award-winning marketer. As a creative entrepreneur, his sweet spot of innovation has been uniting the worlds of design, content and technology. Working with Microsoft, Toshiba and Apple, Curt created award-winning advanced content experiences for mobile, eBooks and advertising. He has bridged the gap between TV, Film and Technology while working with all the movie studios and dozens of TV networks. Curt’s Fortune 500 work includes content marketing and digital storytelling for brands like GM, US Army, Abbott, Dell, and Viacom.

https://www.curtdoty.co
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