08 Aug 2024

Use of AI in PR Guidelines for PRII Members

We were pleased to announce the release of comprehensive AI in PR Usage Guidelines for Members on Thursday, 8 August. These guidelines are designed to support communications professionals in the effective use of AI and to reflect both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI technologies. Members can access the Guidelines in the AI Resource page of our website.

The PRII AI Guidelines are grounded in The European Code of Professional Conduct in Public Relations (The Code of Lisbon) and the International Code of Ethics (The Code of Athens) ensuring they align with the broader ethical frameworks that guide the profession.

These guidelines have been reviewed by the PRII AI in PR Working Group, an expert group tasked with providing guidance on applying AI for our membership. By adhering to these principles, practitioners can enhance creativity, efficiency, and ethical practice in public relations.

Summary of the Guidelines:

Always review AI-generated content for accuracy, relevance, and potential bias and use human professional judgment to refine AI outputs.

Be transparent about the use of AI-generated content, especially when it could influence public perception. The PRII recommends disclosing when content has been created using generative AI.

Recognise both the potential and limitations of AI tools. Test and assess tools before adoption, ensuring they meet organisational cyber and data security needs. Know the supplier, know the model, know the risk exposure.

Ensure high-quality data inputs to achieve high-quality AI outputs. Check third-party data inputs for quality, completeness, and bias.

Stay updated on industry standards and ethical concerns through training and seminars. Promote a culture of transparent AI use within teams and organisations.

Use AI to enhance human efforts. Leverage AI for repetitive tasks, freeing up time for creative and strategic activities.

Comply with all relevant data protection and privacy regulations. Ensure AI tools do not compromise client or organisational data confidentiality.

Monitor AI tools for bias that could impact content/outputs and re-enforce stereotypes and exclusionary messaging.

Understand and respect the intellectual property rights associated with AI-generated content.

AI can produce information at a speed, scale and quality never seen. It can also (re)produce mis-information and dis-information at speed, scale and to a high quality. Develop crisis communication plans to address AI-related mis-information and dis-information threats to organisations and individuals.

The PRII AI Working Group is chaired by PRII President David Geary and comprises, Andrew Bruce Smith, Public Relations and Communications Technologist and Founder, Escherman (UK); Dervilla Mullan, Chief Product Officer and Board Member, NewsWhip; James McCann, CEO, Clearstory International; Jacqueline Hall, FPRII, Founder and Principal of Partners in Communication; Joan Mulvihill, PRII National Council Member and Digitalisation and Sustainability Lead, Siemens; Mark O’Toole, MPRII, Advisor to 150Bond; and Dr Martina Byrne, CEO, PRII.

PRII members can now access and download the Guidelines from the PRII AI Resource page.