By Joe Leslie, VP, Global AI Learning & Development
From Buzz to Implementation: AI’s Evolving Role in PR
The conversation around AI in public relations has definitively shifted from speculative buzz to strategic implementation. My recent talks at Adobe Experience Makers and ATD TechKnowledge confirmed what we’ve been seeing across the industry: organizations are moving beyond the “what if” phase into the “how to” reality of AI integration.
The discussions following these presentations validated a core belief that forms the cornerstone of our AI transformation strategy: AI functions not as a replacement for human creativity but as a powerful catalyst that amplifies it. This fundamental principle guides all of our training initiatives and technology implementations.
Intelligence Augmentation: The Power of Human + Machine
At these industry events, alongside representatives from leading organizations, I championed what our Chief AI Officer Jeff Beringer calls “Intelligence Augmentation” (IA) – where human expertise and AI capabilities combine to deliver superior outcomes. This approach recognizes that the most powerful applications of AI come not from automation alone, but from strategically enhancing human capabilities.
To support this vision, last year we designed and launched GOLearn – a dedicated learning management system for AI training accessible to our employees worldwide. GOLearn helps people understand our transformation journey, available tools, policies, and best practices like effective prompt engineering. Through our “AI Skills for Your Job” learning path, we’ve moved beyond generic training to develop role-specific, SME-led sessions that integrate directly with our team members’ daily workflows, ensuring AI tools enhance human decision-making rather than attempting to replace it.
My participation in a recent TECH TANK panel (think “Shark Tank” but for AI products!) reinforced a critical insight: investment in change management often matches or exceeds investment in the tools themselves. For organizations transforming their teams, creating environments where team members feel secure to learn, experiment, and express concerns about new technologies is as important as the technology itself.
Where Humans Still Lead: Emotional Intelligence in an AI World
Our curriculum carefully highlights the unique value PR professionals bring to AI-assisted work. While language models excel at content generation and data analysis, they lack the nuanced understanding of human emotion, cultural context, and strategic narrative that our teams possess.
We’ve implemented this philosophy in real-world campaigns with measurable results. The much-celebrated Grubhub Special Delivery campaign demonstrates this balance perfectly – AI assisted with data analysis and content creation, but our human teams provided the strategic direction and emotional intelligence that genuinely connected with audiences.
For communicators looking to transform their own processes, identifying these complementary strengths between AI capabilities and human expertise is essential for successful integration. The most effective applications blend AI’s analytical power with human strategic judgment and emotional intelligence.
Building Your AI-Empowered Team: Practical Steps
For organizations embarking on similar journeys, we’ve identified several critical success factors:
1. Start with specific workflows, not broad initiatives. Identify high-value, repetitive tasks where AI can free your team for more strategic work.
2. Create psychologically safe spaces for learning. Acknowledge that transformation involves uncertainty and ensure team members can experiment without fear.
3. Highlight augmentation over automation. Frame AI as a tool that makes professionals more valuable, not less necessary.
4. Develop role-specific training paths. Generic AI education yields generic results; tailor learning to individual roles and responsibilities.
5. Celebrate early wins and share learnings. Make visible the positive outcomes of AI integration to build momentum and buy-in.
Grassroots & Global: Our Approach to Change Management
At Golin, we’ve built a multi-layered approach to support our transformation journey. The Prompt newsletter serves as a monthly digest providing education, inspirational use cases from real employees, and practical how-tos for meaningful AI integration. This resource helps every team member understand our transformation progress and highlights their essential role in helping us become a fully AI-integrated agency.
Equally important is our growing network of AI Champions across all global offices. We’ve recognized that meaningful change can’t be driven solely by leadership or centers of excellence – it must also happen at the local level, within the teams and offices where the actual work gets done. These Champions serve as on-the-ground advocates and resources, helping colleagues navigate new tools, sharing successes, and addressing challenges specific to their local contexts. This distributed approach ensures our transformation remains relevant to varied markets while maintaining a unified strategic direction.
The Road to 2026: A Fully AI-Integrated Agency
As we progress toward becoming the world’s first fully AI-integrated agency by Q1 2026, we remain committed to empowering our people to be more effective, creative, and strategic. The enthusiastic response from peers across the L&D community during recent events validates our approach: prioritizing thoughtful change management, emphasizing augmentation over automation, and highlighting the indispensable role of human expertise.
By sharing our experiences and learning from others in this space, we’re contributing to a future where AI and human ingenuity work together to expand the possibilities of public relations – ensuring our most valuable asset, our people, remain central to everything we do.
The organizations that will thrive in this new era won’t be those with the most advanced AI tools, but those that most effectively blend technological capabilities with uniquely human strengths. At Golin, we’re building that future today.
Joe Leslie leads AI training design and implementation across Golin as VP, Global AI Learning & Development. He speaks regularly at industry events on the intersection of artificial intelligence, learning development, and communications.