Creativity, PR, And AI: Whose Idea Is It Anyway?

The public relations (PR) industry thrives on creativity. PR professionals often design campaigns that capture attention, forge emotional connections, and influence perceptions. But as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated, many PR practitioners find themselves asking difficult questions about its role in the creative process. Can AI support creativity in PR? If so, how should we approach incorporating it into strategy development and execution?

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To explore the answers, it's worth revisiting the nature of creative ideation and examining how AI aligns with established frameworks. This post dives into the heart of creativity, demystifies AI’s place in PR, and offers a roadmap for integrating technology into our imaginative work.

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Understanding Creativity in PR

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Creativity is essential in PR because it drives innovation, storytelling, and problem-solving. But where do fresh, innovative ideas come from? For centuries, this question has fascinated philosophers and psychologists alike. While we may never fully understand the intricate workings of creativity, research offers us valuable insights.

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Experts often describe creativity as a process consisting of three core steps:

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1. Building on experience and inspiration – Creativity often starts with exposure to prior ideas, experiences, and external stimuli, which shape perception and awareness.

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2. Combining disparate ideas – Innovative thinking frequently involves merging unrelated concepts or adapting existing ones into something new.

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3. Breaking boundaries to redefine norms – Occasionally, ideas arise by challenging conventions or looking at problems from completely new angles.  

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These steps are central to how PR professionals develop campaigns. Whether brainstorming for a client launch or crafting an impactful crisis communication strategy, they rely on human intuition, curiosity, and judgment. But these attributes aren't exclusive to humans. With the right programming, AI is proving to be a powerful ally in following these creative processes.

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How AI Can Support Creativity in PR

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AI may not experience emotions, intuition, or motivation, but it can empower PR professionals by operating within the frameworks outlined above. By mimicking key aspects of human creativity, AI has the potential to augment, not replace, the way we develop ideas.

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1. AI and the Power of Knowledge Building

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Creativity begins with knowledge—pulling insights from past experiences, campaigns, and successes. AI excels at this. Tools like machine learning models can sift through vast amounts of historical campaign data, extracting valuable insights about what works and why.

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For example, an AI system could analyse award-winning PR campaigns, identify common patterns in successful storytelling, or detect cultural themes that resonate with audiences. This creates a “knowledge bank” that would otherwise be impossible for any individual to access.

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Imagine briefing an AI program to study a client’s brand history, digital presence, and PR archives. Armed with this information, AI can generate preliminary ideas, helping PR teams focus their brainstorming within strategic parameters. Far from replacing creativity, this enhances it.

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2. AI as a Catalyst for Idea Combination  

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The process of combining ideas—often referred to as "idea grafting"—is another area where AI shines. It can take multiple concepts, strategies, or formats and synthesise them into something entirely new.  

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For instance, an AI platform might overlay two unrelated trends, such as sustainable living and virtual events, to propose a creative campaign centred on digital sustainability summits. With the right prompts, AI delivers fresh starting points that PR professionals can refine into actionable plans.

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The results aren’t always perfect, and refining AI-generated ideas requires human judgment. PR teams add emotional context, imaginative depth, and brand alignment to the mix. The human-AI collaboration becomes iterative—a dance of innovation between human strategists and machine efficiency.

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3. Breaking Boundaries with AI Prompts

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Finally, AI has the potential to disrupt norms and help PR professionals think outside the box. Advanced generative models can explore completely unconventional angles when prompted to “rethink” a problem.

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Take a campaign launch challenge, for instance. By asking an AI tool to envision creative solutions without regard to existing frameworks, it might propose concepts we’d never have considered. While these disruptive ideas won’t always fit neatly into a client brief, they can act as a springboard for inspiration.

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The key challenge lies in designing the right prompts and interpreting the results creatively. Without skilled direction, AI outputs may feel flat, generic, or irrelevant. But when used strategically, AI's ability to challenge boundaries is groundbreaking.

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Integrating AI in PR’s Creative Workflow

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While AI is no substitute for human judgment, there’s no denying that it has a growing role in the creative process. To harness its full potential, the PR industry must align technology with human expertise at each stage of ideation.

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Start with Collaboration, Not Fear

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A common worry among creatives is that AI will stifle originality or replace human ingenuity. But the reality is quite the opposite. AI tools are designed to assist, not take over. By viewing AI as a collaborator, teams can unlock efficiencies and explore bolder concepts than ever before.

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Design Intelligent Prompts

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One of the most critical steps in using AI effectively is crafting intelligent prompts—questions or instructions that guide AI toward meaningful outputs. Clear, specific prompts yield quality results, which can then be polished and iterated upon by humans.

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Invest in Training and Exploration

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For many PR professionals, the biggest hurdle to working with AI is a lack of familiarity. Training workshops, experimentation, and exploration can bridge this gap. Teams that understand how to strategically integrate AI into their existing workflows will gain a competitive edge.

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Prioritise Ethical Use and Transparency

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Finally, as AI takes on a larger role in PR, ethical considerations must remain front and centre. Agencies need to clarify how AI-generated ideas are used, disclose the extent of its involvement to stakeholders, and ensure campaigns remain authentic.

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The Future of Creativity, PR, and AI

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The PR industry stands at an intersection of creativity and technology. While AI isn't sentient, it holds tremendous potential to complement our human drive for innovation. It crunches data, reveals patterns, combines ideas, and even challenges norms—skills that meaningfully support campaign development.

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At the same time, creativity is inherently human. Intuition, empathy, and authenticity remain qualities unique to people, and blending these traits with AI's potential is what will set groundbreaking campaigns apart.

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Rather than fearing AI, it’s time for the PR industry to harness its power. Together, humans and machines can redefine creativity, crafting campaigns that push boundaries and resonate deeply.

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