People using VR glasses in a modern office
With major advances in computer processing and data transmission, two technologies that require extremely high bandwidth and processing power are disrupting various industries in the media sector: artificial intelligence and 3D video. Although these two technologies have been around for decades, it is only recently that computing power has caught up with their computational requirements, and we are sure to see major changes in the media sector.
Since Generative AI first gained traction last year as a way to aid in content creation and create new media from scratch, the AI phenomenon has become well-known among business professionals and consumers. Meanwhile, as consumption of 3D media slowly gains traction, Virtual Reality and the Metaverse are slowly making inroads across industries, but beware: it is a quiet disruptor and will undoubtedly bring about big changes to value-added business use cases.
PR is one of the first media-driven industries sure to be transformed by 3D and AI. After all, PR today is all about managing your message in a digital medium. While big PR firms are busy managing their top clients, entrepreneurs are spearheading these innovations.
I found a PR industry podcast from May that sums up this phenomenon well, produced by Provoke Media and Public Relations Organization International (PROI) Worldwide. The podcast is hosted by Paul Holmes, founder and chairman of Provoke Media and a recognized PR thought leader, who uncovers three independent PR agencies across three continents that are shaking up the industry with their innovation.
Gullers Grupp is a Swedish PR and communications agency that primarily helps clients with social impact storytelling and focuses on education for PR purposes. The company models itself as an innovation system without middle management in order to think outside the box, and has developed highly creative communication campaigns, such as a campaign on multiple sclerosis (MS) (such as shoes that teach people how it feels to have MS). On the technology side, they created an AI compliance officer to help their clients handle regulatory affairs and government relations more efficiently. Hans Gennerud, Managing Partner at Gullers Grupp, said: “We use cutting-edge technology and are constantly thinking about how these tools can be used in new areas and in new ways for the PR industry. Of all the innovations from tech giants, it is AI, especially large-scale language models, that we think will have the biggest impact on PR and communications. Combining this with other biometrics can help test how people react to information or how they react in crisis situations.”
M2.0 Communications is a Philippine PR agency that is also developing new innovations to use AI in media production for PR campaigns. The company's founder, Doy Roque, said, “AI will bring about significant change in the industry as social media AI influencers compete with human influencers.” However, he predicts that it will be adjacent industry sectors and smaller PR firms that will adopt the technology first. He adds, “It's hard for humans to step out of their comfort zone, and big companies have no incentive to step out of their zone.” He predicts that mavericks will lead the media industry into a new reality like the one depicted in the movie. sheIt tells the story of a man falling in love with an AI character.
Finally, Tank is a Colombian PR firm that is modernizing its PR services using both AI and virtual reality. The company has AI-powered analytics tools that predict engagement (likes, shares, detractors, and supporters) on social media posts. Their service, PrejaVú, leverages virtual reality to train companies and executives in crisis management, under the premise that simulating a real crisis situation is the best coaching mechanism. CEO and founder Mauricio Ferro says, “We have a unique PR approach for spokespeople and a 3D lens that is available worldwide, not just to improve the quality of our training but to make our services available worldwide.”
These innovations show that PR and communications are sure to be disrupted by 3D and AI technology. Holmes said: “Many of our podcasts cover topics that are already hot topics, but this one was a true predictor of the future of the industry. It's incredibly inspiring what the three featured companies are doing in terms of investing in people, technology and product development.”
In fact, if you think about it, these three companies have two things in common. First, they are agile mavericks by design. Second, to stay agile, they tend to leverage existing AI and 3D platforms from tech giants. The main lesson for innovators is to make the most of existing AI and 3D platforms to keep pace and look elsewhere for your secret sauce. This lesson applies across industries: what's happening in PR and communications is a harbinger of the transformation that's sure to come in other media-related industries.
