Preparing the PR Mind for the AI Age
“Chance favors the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur’s famous line opens this year’s Davis + Gilbert Public Relations Industry Trends Report, now in its 13th year. Its longevity gives the study a kind of sharpened clarity. It says only what needs to be said and leaves enough space for communicators to draw their own conclusions.
This year’s report spotlights a familiar tension. PR firms know what they want to achieve, yet there is still a noticeable gap between strategy and execution. The purpose of the report is to identify that misalignment and help firms close the performance divide. The deeper question is why the gap continues to exist at all.
In a year marked by high uncertainty, firms report concerns about revenue growth, slow client decision making, pressure on profit margins and the struggle to keep up with fast-moving technology. At the same time, they point to several bright spots. Top performers continue to invest in technology, research and data. Nearly every firm is using AI in some capacity. Most revenue still comes from retainers. AI is also the most common area of employee training.
The contradiction appears when firms describe what holds them back. Many cite revenue and profit challenges, yet staff training has declined. Davis + Gilbert recommend targeted training that can strengthen account leadership and help firms open new revenue opportunities. The advice is direct, which raises another question. If firms know what they need, why are they still underinvesting in it?
The answer may lie in a shift that is broader than technology alone. It may be that firms are unsure which skills matter most in an environment where yesterday’s playbook no longer fits. It may also reflect a lack of confidence in training methods that feel outdated for the moment we are in.
Ajay Agarwal, professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and co-author of the book Power and Prediction, recently discussed this challenge in an interview with future of work advocate Sinead Bovell. Agarwal argues that the most important skill in the age of AI is judgment. It is the ability to ask why, to evaluate trade-offs, to infer meaning and to imagine alternative outcomes. Judgment strengthens strategy, sharpens decision making and helps communicators navigate ambiguity. It also remains firmly human, even as AI accelerates the speed of execution.
Agarwal believes judgment will become the defining competitive advantage for all knowledge professions. PR is no exception. If firms want stronger growth, better margins and clearer differentiation, judgment may be the missing link. It is a capability that cannot be automated, but it can be trained and improved. It can also be paired with AI to produce better work rather than be overshadowed by it.
This may be what a prepared mind looks like in the AI era. A mind ready for new rules, new expectations and new competitive realities. Sometimes the most effective path forward comes from ideas outside your own field.
Next year’s report may reveal whether PR firms choose to invest in judgment and treat it as a core capability. The opportunity is already here for those willing to prepare for it.
