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Brand narratives in the age of AI: The new comms risk PR teams can’t afford to ignore
This is a guest post from Jane Hunt, a digital PR expert, published author and CEO of JBH, an award-winning digital PR and SEO agency.
Much of the current conversation around AI in communications has focused on misinformation and disinformation, and rightly so. However, there is a quieter risk emerging for PR professionals, one that is less about falsehoods and more about absence. AI systems spread narratives, but also determine which narratives are visible in the first place.
Tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are becoming the first step in discovery. In doing so, they filter brands based on how clearly and consistently they are understood across the web.
This creates a new risk: not being misrepresented or criticised but being omitted entirely. If a brand’s narrative is weak, fragmented or difficult to understand, AI systems may simply bypass it in favour of brands who have a very clear positioning.
How AI systems construct (and distort) brand narratives
Large language models (LLMs) do not assess brands in the same way as traditional search engines. Rather than ranking pages based on keywords or backlinks alone, they synthesise patterns across vast datasets that include media coverage, blogs, reviews, forums, and structured content.
Google has indicated that its AI-generated responses prioritise high-quality information drawn from multiple authoritative sources, while OpenAI has stated that models favour information that is consistently represented across trusted data.
In practice, this means repetition becomes a proxy for credibility, consistency signals authority and clarity signals usefulness.
The three narrative risks: ignored, miscast or diluted
The first and most overlooked risk is invisibility: When a brand lacks a consistently reinforced narrative across credible sources, including the press, AI systems can struggle to categorise it. This makes it far less likely to appear in AI-generated answers. Evidence of this can already be seen in Google’s AI Overviews, where only a small subset of brands are cited even in highly competitive categories.
A 2024 study by Seer Interactive found that visibility in AI-generated results is influenced by more than just rankings, with factors like content quality, PR, and strategic positioning playing a growing role. This indicates a shift from volume-driven SEO and PR to more coherent, authoritative brand narratives.
The second risk is distortion: When the dominant signals around a brand are negative, inconsistent or unclear, AI systems will still include that brand, but often in a reframed or simplified way. Because LLMs reflect aggregate sentiment, a small number of high-profile criticisms can outweigh a larger body of neutral coverage. Similarly, a complex repositioning may be reduced to a perception of confusion, or a short-term crisis may become a defining narrative, one that AI overviews may reference in the answer if they do feature the brand.
Once this pattern is established, it is reinforced at scale across summaries, comparisons, and recommendations.
The third risk is dilution: Brands with generic, indistinct messaging often fail to surface in AI outputs because they lack memorability. If a brand’s positioning is very similar to competitors, it becomes harder for AI systems to choose it as an example. This aligns with well-established research in cognitive psychology, which shows that distinctiveness improves recall.
Why traditional PR metrics fall short
Traditional PR metrics such as media coverage, impressions, and backlinks still have value, but they are not sufficient indicators of visibility in an AI-driven environment. These metrics measure reach, but they do not capture how a brand is interpreted or summarised by AI systems.
What matters more is whether a brand’s narrative is consistent across sources, whether third parties can clearly articulate what the brand does, and whether it appears in content that explains, educates or solves problems. As a result, PR should be shifting from a focus on visibility metrics to a focus on interpretability i.e. how easily a brand can be understood and featured in an answer.
What comms teams should do now
For comms teams, this shift requires a more disciplined and strategic approach to message and narrative development. Consistency must be treated not just as a branding exercise, but as a form of risk management. Fragmented messaging weakens the signals that AI systems rely on to classify and recall a brand.
Narratives must also be designed to stand independently of the organisation. If journalists, analysts or customers cannot easily explain what a brand does, AI systems will face the same challenge. Clarity and simplicity are essential.
In addition, PR efforts should prioritise high-trust, high-context publications. Thought leadership, expert commentary and educational content are far more likely to be used by AI systems than purely promotional announcements. These formats provide the explanatory depth that LLMs depend on.
Finally, narrative shaping must be proactive. By the time a narrative becomes visible in AI-generated outputs, it has already been reinforced across multiple sources. This leaves little room for reactive correction. PR teams must focus on seeding and reinforcing clear narratives early, before alternative or negative interpretations gain traction.
For more advice on updating your comms strategy for the impacts of AI and LLMs, check out key insight from Vuelio’s latest webinar, ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder‘.
25 years of the Journalist Enquiry Service: Its impact on the biggest news stories, then and now
The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service celebrates a special milestone this year as it’s 25 years since its launch. The service has been there to assist thousands of journalists over this period, and give PRs the opportunity to secure media coverage for their experts, case studies, press releases and more.
Here is a look back at some of the biggest events and stories the Journalist Enquiry Service was able to help amplify across the UK over the last 20 years, and what’s happening in our 25th year.
Global economic events
Talking about big economic events from the last 20 years, 2008 would stand out for many of us in the UK and Europe – certainly comms and journalists tasked with covering the business and personal finance beat at the time.
Personal Finance-related media requests from journalists and broadcasters surged in the midst of the crisis, reflecting the immediate need for consumer information about what this meant for the public’s finances. And UK PR and comms people were there to help, offering advice from key experts and case studies from those impacted.
But that wasn’t the end of wide-spread financial woes, with the Cost of Living Crisis continuing to rumble on. First catching significant media attention towards the end of 2021, the Journalist Enquiry Service’s Personal Finance category saw a significant and sustained spike, increasing by nearly 70% from 1,926 in 2020 to a peak of 3,254 in 2022. Journalists needed practical, consumer-focused advice on budgeting, inflation, and debt, and turned to the UK PR users of the Journalist Enquiry Service for support. In 2022, Business & Finance media requests peaked again, (6,339) this time with asks for corporate strategy and the broader economic outlook.
What does this mean for PRs now?
If you want to reach out to a journalist covering Business & Finance in 2026, the focus should be on thought leadership and forward-looking analysis. Go beyond simple reporting when responding to requests and offer expert commentary on long-term economic forecasts, sector-specific performance in challenging environments, and strategic advice for businesses navigating the current climate.
Trying to get coverage with Personal Finance journalists? The big increase in the number of requests during times of crisis over the last 20 years suggests that the media is looking for immediate, practical advice on topics like saving, managing utility bills, mortgages, debt management, and more. For these significant events that will affect consumers due to high inflation and economic volatility, have experts ready to provide clear, non-jargon solutions.
Infrastructure and construction
While the Construction & Property and Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy categories on the Journalist Enquiry Service are traditionally less busy than others – primarily serving niche trade publications – related requests grew significantly between 2005 and 2008 – peaks coinciding with the planning and initial heavy construction phases of projects like the Elizabeth Line and the Battersea Power Station redevelopment – both having driven high media interest in the sector’s activity and scale.
Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy requests from the media have surged again recently – indicating the media’s increased focus on the industrial and supply-chain aspects of large-scale infrastructure, and perhaps the growing focus on energy transition, too.
What does this mean for PRs now?
When it comes to Construction & Property-focused media, general construction activity is less newsworthy than project milestones. If you want to get media coverage in this sector, focus on major project announcements, planning approvals, and any impactful delays. There is also a chance to cover innovative engineering if you can explain how it is done, the final launch, and what impact this is going to have on the sector and the local community.
Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy has seen major growth as a category recently and will most likely continue due to major projects like HS2 still on-going and recent ones like Thames Tideway only recently completed. The focus for PRs needs to be on technical innovations, UK manufacturing successes, and the energy implications of infrastructure. Stories and experts to talk about the materials used, the engineering feats, and the green energy solutions will resonate strongly with journalists covering this sector.
Political instability and change
The Public Sector, Third Sector & Legal category is another traditionally smaller category for the Journalist Enquiry Service, but it’s seen a sustained increase in requests from the media since 2015 – unsurprising, considering the political uncertainty of Brexit in 2016, calls for Scottish Independence and several different changes of Prime Minister during the recent Conservative government.
The number of requests shot up from 1367 in 2014 to 2407 in 2017 – taking in the 2015 General Election and the 2016 Brexit Referendum, reflecting the massive focus from journalists on both the legal and public implications of leaving the EU.
Requests from journalists hit an all-time high of 2907 in 2022, coinciding with the Conservative government making multiple Prime Minister changes (Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak) – journalists sought to cover the continued political instability, and the fallout around the cost-of-living crisis – something PR subscribers to the Journalist Enquiry Service were able to help with.
What does this mean for PRs now?
When political turmoil or constitutional shifts occur (like a new PM or a major policy pivot), PRs should focus on proactively pitching legal and public policy experts with clear, non-partisan analysis of how new legislation, devolved powers, or government restructuring will affect public services, the third sector, or regulatory environments. After an election or a major policy announcement (e.g. a post-Brexit trade deal, a new devolution package), the focus should shift to the mechanics and consequences of the policy. The number of journalist requests don’t just peak before a change, but also afterwards as the media covers the implementation and the ensuing legal and social challenges.
In terms of the opportunities for the Third Sector, the periods of crisis or public sector cuts ( often a consequence of political change), increase the media’s attention on charities and non-profit organisations. PRs working in this space should focus on data-driven stories demonstrating the impact of their work in filling gaps left by state services and advocating for policy change.
The social media boom and new technology
The development of technologies has been vast over the last twenty years and from 2005 until 2017, there was massive growth and journalists have made use of the Consumer Technology category with requests rocketing up from 903 to 4794. This coincided with the explosion of smartphones, social media platforms, and the app economy, and journalists were keen to cover all these changes. Since 2017, the number of requests has remained high, with the media tending to focus on general consumer gadgets and apps as they develop and evolve.
The Computing & Telecoms category has likewise seen a similar initial rise in requests from the media, hitting its peak in 2016 with 3490. This was largely driven by the development of modern communication infrastructures such as broadband, 4G, and cloud services. Another increase in journalist attention came in 2023 after the launch of the first major landmark in large language models (LLMs) – ChatGPT. AI has become one of the most consistent keywords on the Journalist Enquiry Service, but deep tech topics like quantum computing can also crop up in other categories such as Business & Finance and Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy.
What does this mean for PRs now?
Journalists that cover consumer technology, such as gadgets, are less likely to be looking for the technical specifications (which drove interest pre-2017) and are now more focused on the cultural, social, or personal impact of the technology. For instance, covering the ethics of a new social media feature, or how an app changes lifestyle, will resonate better than simply launching a new phone model.
PRs working in spaces such as AI and quantum computing may want to look beyond just the Computing & Telecoms category and also pitch to business journalists who will be looking at the commercial application, ROI, or national industrial strategy behind the technology. Most tech journalists working on trade outlets will know the technical complexity of new technologies and will instead be interested in covering the tangible, real-world benefits of what is being developed and launched.
The Journalist Enquiry Service in 2026: Even more ways to connect with the media
ResponseSource and Vuelio have always sought to support the comms and media industries with their unique challenges. This year, we’ve integrated media requests from the Journalist Enquiry Service into the Vuelio Media Database to enrich and expand opportunities for connection and collaboration.
Embedding media requests into the Vuelio Media Database directly provides PRs a peek into newsrooms now, combining with insight into what is coming up months in the future from forward features lists.
As the media and comms industry evolves with the changing times, the Journalist Enquiry Service will continue to be here to connect them, and help with the big news stories of the future.
Find out more about the Journalist Enquiry Service here.
The UK Housing Crisis: From A Supply Problem To A Political Emergency?
The UK housing debate has become heated as arguments over who we are building for and whether the current political leadership is capable of delivering on its promises abound.
Over the last month, the conversation has moved away from construction targets and toward a much messier reality involving planning gridlock, industrial supply chain failures, and a burgeoning leadership crisis in Westminster.
To understand how these narratives are moving, we analysed media data using Vuelio’s Lumina. This AI-powered tool surfaces the stories that matter, the different viewpoints within them, and the specific people and organisations driving the news. Between 5 April and 30 April 2026, we examined 17 distinct stories with competing perspectives to cut through thousands of media items and offer a definite look at where the narratives sit right now.
The results show a sector under immense pressure. From the grey belt of Kent to the rural Highlands, the debate is fragmenting. For those in public affairs and communications, staying on top of these shifts is the difference between leading the conversation and being buried by it.
Here is what the data tells us about the current state of the UK housing market…
A Perfect Storm Brings Housebuilding To A Decade Low
The most dominant story right now reflects a growing concern that the national housebuilding machine has ground to a halt. While the Labour government remains committed to its target of 1.5 million homes, the industry is describing a perfect storm that makes those numbers look more like a dream than a delivery plan.
The Home Builders Federation and major players like the Berkeley Group are leading this narrative, arguing that the entire financial model of building in the UK is becoming unviable. They point to a mix of high interest rates, rising material costs, and what they call bureaucratic ‘sludge’ in the planning system. This has led to a situation where major developers are cutting back on land purchases, with no clear path to profit.
Due to the data, this viewpoint carries a lot of weight. Construction starts in London have plummeted to levels not seen in years, and national figures for brick and block deliveries are falling. As reported by Guardian Online, these systemic delays are now being described as a ‘housing recession’, putting the Government in a difficult spot. While ministers insist their planning reforms will eventually work, the industry loudly disagrees.
The key drivers here are the industry bodies who have shifted from quiet lobbying to very public warnings. Neil Jefferson of the Home Builders Federation is a central figure, framing the crisis as a failure of policy to meet economic reality. When these organisations speak, they go beyond representing individual companies, to an entire supply chain that feels abandoned by the current fiscal environment.
The Battle Over ‘Beauty’ And Family Space In London
While the national story is about volume, the London narrative is about quality and suitability. A major divide has opened up between City Hall and its critics over what kind of homes the capital actually needs. The Deputy Mayor for Housing Tom Copley has been vocal in defending the current strategy, predicting that 2026 will be a turnaround year.
However, a growing chorus of experts and politicians disagree. The Housing Forum and the G15 group of housing associations are pushing a perspective that London is centering units over people. They argue that building thousands of small one-bedroom flats does nothing for the 75,000 households stuck in temporary accommodation, or families living in overcrowded conditions. They instead want a shift toward counting the number of people housed, rather than just the number of front doors created.
This debate has become aesthetically-focused, as well. Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly has entered the fray, attacking what he calls ‘soulless tower blocks’. He advocates for ‘mansion blocks’ and ‘intelligent density’, in some clever political positioning. With the focus on ‘beauty’ and ‘gentle density’, the Conservatives seek to win over local residents with a tendency to block new developments. Their bet: people are less likely to say no plans that are an aesthetic improvement.
According to MyLondon, this debate is a fundamental challenge to the Mayor’s strategy. If the public starts to believe that the new homes being built are the wrong homes, political support for massive development could vanish. The key drivers in this section, including Anna Clarke of The Housing Forum, are successfully reframing the crisis as one of distribution and suitability, not just supply.
Political Instability Casting A Shadow Over Policy
Perhaps a concerning trend for those in the housing sector is how much the Mandelson controversy and questions regarding Keir Starmer’s leadership are starting to take hold of the policy agenda – the work of fixing the planning system curtailed by a focus on internal dissent and scandals.
Commentators like Alex Brummer for This Is Money and reporters for the Financial Times are painting a picture of a ‘rudderless’ Britain, with power draining away from Downing Street. And this could have real-world consequences for the economy going beyond gossip, with the Bank of England maintaining a cautious approach to interest rates, and the uncertainty in Westminster making investors nervous.
When a Prime Minister is under fire, bold reforms get pushed to the back burner, and we are already seeing this play out with housing targets. Industry analysts are increasingly calling the 1.5 million aim ‘fanciful’ as the political capital needed to force planning changes through is being spent on managing party rebellions.
The key drivers here are high-profile columnists and disillusioned backbenchers, who are linking political failure directly to the housing slump. Their argument: If the government cannot manage its own party, how can it manage the biggest building programme in 50 years? This link is potentially dangerous for the Labour brand, turning a technical policy failure into a perceived character flaw of leadership.
Supply Chain Shocks And Creative Solutions
While influential players argue in London, other stories show how the crisis is hitting the ground in different ways. The GMB Union has raised a red flag regarding brick manufacturing, pointing out a ‘nonsensical’ energy policy that gives relief to mortar makers but excludes brick kilns. This has led to factories idling and stockpiles growing, even as the country begs for more homes. Charlotte Brumpton-Childs from GMB is a key driver here, aiming to protect manufacturing jobs and pointing out the disconnect in government strategy.
Concurrently, there are creative, and controversial, attempts to bypass the planning system. In Ireland, the government has approved exemptions for garden homes and modular cabins. While ministers like Micheál Martin champion this as a pragmatic solution to a national emergency, housing advocates like Threshold warn it could lead to a return to substandard ‘beds in sheds‘.
In Kent, Hallam Land is testing the new grey belt rules with a 300-home proposal in Sevenoaks. This has sparked a familiar villager versus developer trope,, with local residents calling it an ‘absolute joke’, and the developer characterising the move instead as a ‘sympathetic expansion’. This story could be a preview of the many battles that will take place across the UK as the Government attempts to reclassify green belt land.
What This Means For Comms Professionals
For PR and public affairs professionals, this data suggests that supply vs demand messaging won’t get attention from the press, or from stakeholders. Campaigns focusing on building more should make way for updates on what is being built, where it is, and who it is for:
The suitability message: The focus is shifting to family-sized homes and ‘intelligent density’. If representing a developer, lead with how projects fit the local population’s specific needs, not the contribution to a national target.
Infrastructure first: The Sevenoaks story shows that local opposition is still rooted in infrastructure fears (doctors, schools, traffic). Communicators must address these points before they talk about the houses.
Everything is political: Housing is being used as a means to criticise the current UK leadership. Any project that stalls can be framed as a failure of the Government – be prepared for your project to become a political pinball.
Supply chain transparency: The brick and energy crisis shows that the how of building is just as important as the where. There is a space for thought leadership on industrial strategy and how it supports housing.
The UK housing crisis is currently enmeshed in a collection of competing crises, with a construction crisis, a planning crisis, and a leadership crisis all happening at once. The narrative has moved from a debate about numbers to a complex argument about aesthetics, family needs, and industrial viability.
Navigating this environment requires an understanding of the perspectives that are gaining traction and the key drivers and stakeholders who are shifting public opinion. The data from Lumina shows that the winners in this debate will be those who can bridge the gap between policy ambition and the reality on the ground. By staying ahead of emerging trends in the press, communicators can help shape a more constructive conversation.
Find out more about the closer alignment between public affairs, communications, and the political press here.
The LLM visibility gap: Why PRs need to earn attention in AI answers
The communications landscape has been transformed by the emergence of artificial intelligence, and the traditional tools of PR have had to evolve to keep up. For organisations operating in a world of fragmented media and accelerating sharing, AI must be utilised as a tool, but also treated as an influential stakeholder.
The challenge has taken PR & Comms professionals beyond traditional media monitoring, with success now also depending on whether Large Language Models (LLMs) recognise your organisation, your clients, and your messaging, and include them in their generated answers. If absent from AI summaries, your organisation risks becoming invisible to a generation of users who rely on these systems for their primary information.
AI can be a blocker, or a connector
AI is a powerful stakeholder in its own right, and like any other stakeholder, can’t be ignored.
During Vuelio webinar ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder‘, the University of Huddersfield’s Dr Anne Gregory highlighted how the growing dependence on these tools is reshaping how we practice communications.
‘AI is much more than just an assistant; it is a powerful actor in the information ecosystem.
‘It mediates our engagement with organisations and individuals, and evidence is emerging that AI is often believed more than other traditional sources.’
This shift in trust represents a significant risk for those caught unprepared. If an LLM synthesises a narrative about your client or brand that is factually flawed, or omits your perspective entirely, the speed at which that ‘truth’ takes hold is fast.
However, many PR teams still aren’t paying significant attention to this. Purposeful Relations‘ Stuart Bruce highlighted how teams currently allocate their resources as just one example.
‘If you look at where budgets and effort are currently directed, the focus remains heavily on social media influencers,’ he observed. ‘Meanwhile, far less attention is paid to AI answers, which are becoming significantly more influential and persuasive.’
‘Invisible’ organisations
Media fragmentation has made it harder than ever to maintain a coherent narrative. Between political volatility, geopolitical shifts, and the sheer volume of digital noise, the feedback loop of communications is compressing. In this environment, comms teams need to go beyond monitoring and interpreting to anticipating and ‘pre-bunking’.
Because the risk of being ignored by LLMs is a commercial one. Gartner’s recent report ‘Top Predictions to Inform 2026 Comms Strategies‘ highlighted a critical shift for Chief Communications Officers (CCO) towards Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO).
Gaining visibility in AI answers doesn’t require a skill set completely new to comms professionals, however. The shift can be simple: to be included in an AI answer, your organisation must provide enough digital touchpoints for the model to verify your information as reliable.
As Stuart Bruce puts it: ‘AI creates content in the same way a journalist or an analyst might, by synthesising countless bits of information from across the web.
‘The more touchpoints the AI finds to verify a fact, the more likely it is to include it. If we don’t create an environment where the AI can find enough evidence of our perspective, it simply won’t give it.’
Closing the gap
The secret to a successful campaign in 2026 and beyond lies in ensuring your key facts, executive commentary, and brand milestones are structured and accessible to LLMs – placing information in enough reputable digital locations (from media outlets to white papers and official statements) that an AI agent perceives your narrative as the authoritative one.
As Dr Anne Gregory warned: ‘Once a narrative is set, it becomes extremely difficult to counter. This is why PR must come in early. AI agents use information to create their own sources of knowledge; if the data they collect is flawed, the consequences for the organisation are severe.’
PRs continue to be the architects of brand reputation, tasked with influencing both the human audience and the intelligent agents that interpret the world for them.
What’s next?
The organisations that will thrive in this AI-mediated world are those that earn credibility through the discoverability of their message – like the comms outreach of old, but evolved.
At Vuelio, our platform is built to support exactly this kind of purposeful communication, with our Lumina suite continuing to evolve to meet the needs of today’s comms teams. Whether you are in-house or agency, the goal remains the same: to ensure that when AI is asked a question about your sector, your organisation, or your clients, your voice is the one it uses to provide the answer.
AI is the new PR & comms stakeholder
Artificial Intelligence impacts PR & comms in two distinct ways. It transforms how practitioners work with massive volumes of media, and at a greater degree of sophistication and personalisation. At the same time, it’s also a powerful force shaping how information is surfaced, interpreted, and acted upon across the entire communications industry. What’s changed isn’t just ‘how’ you do the work, but your reason for doing it in the first place.
Not sure if you agree? The current landscape makes clear just how important factoring in AI’s influence is. According to Gartner’s latest predictions for 2026, the mass adoption of public Large Language Models (LLMs) as a replacement for traditional search is expected to drive a significant increase in PR and earned media budgets by 2027. To add to this, BCG’s AI Radar global survey found that corporate investments in AI have doubled since last year.
From the PRCA’s recent green paper on responsible AI, to the CIPR’s focus as part of its survey for 2026, the sector is rapidly investing in this future. And with the EU AI Act deadline on the horizon, the urgency for robust governance and planning has never been higher. As Rupert Younger, Director of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, put it as long ago as 2024: ‘AI is not just a technology, it has become a stakeholder’.
To navigate this new reality, we were joined by Dr Anne Gregory, Professor Emeritus at the University of Huddersfield, and Stuart Bruce, PR Futurist and Co-founder of Purposeful Relations, for our latest webinar, ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder’.
In the session, we explored how this new stakeholder is redefining reputation, influence, and strategy.
What kind of stakeholder is AI?
While many across the comms industry still view AI as a digital assistant for finding efficiencies and speeding up elements of our daily responsibilities, Anne argues it has moved into a more active role:
‘In one sense, AI is a compliant assistant, helping us along the campaign creation trail from research to identifying and prioritising stakeholders, tracking sentiment. But even here, it’s doing that in your name and in your organisation’s name. You have to have a stake in its work, because it certainly has a stake in yours.’
‘We’re becoming increasingly dependent on these tools, and they’re shaping our practice and behavior, but AI is much more than just an assistant. It’s a powerful actor in the information ecosystem.’
While AI lacks anything approaching human intentionality (for now…) its algorithmic processes produce significant real-world consequences. It shapes organisational perceptions and mediates engagement with individuals, often presenting summaries that are believed more than traditional sources.
‘AI is becoming a very strong stakeholder,’ said Anne. ‘ I like Dr. Nici Sweaney’s definition of these agents and AI, it’s an accidental stakeholder’.
Stuart Bruce added that there is still significant confusion regarding what AI actually means for practitioners. Purposeful Relations’ research with 72Point revealed that 44% of UK consumers trust AI answers – a figure nearly double the 24% who trust social media influencers:
‘If you look at where budgets and effort goes at the moment, it’s going to social media influencers; it’s not going into what’s happening with AI answers, which are becoming a lot more influential and persuasive.
‘Anne talked about accidental stakeholders – you’ve actually also got the accidental AI users, because even those people that aren’t using AI, they’re still going to be seeing those AI overviews in search. This is where we talk about ‘zero click’, because people are often seeing those answers and going no further.
‘It’s not just about visibility, it’s actually also about accuracy – how your organisation is being portrayed, your leadership, and your people. You’re going to want your particular perspective to be coming out in AI answers.’
The dangers of underestimating AI’s role as a stakeholder
If AI is treated only as a tool or assistant, organisations face substantial reputational risks. Anne warned about the danger of underestimating AI’s power to curate and shape truth:
‘For a lot of people, it has become a source of truth. Maybe PR people are more skeptical of AI than others… but the world isn’t peopled by AI experts or public relations experts. Even though we know these summaries are often incomplete and biased, we tend to believe them. If we don’t regard AI as an influential stakeholder, we could be putting ourselves in jeopardy.’
Anne pointed out the difference with this stakeholder and stakeholders as they’re currently understood, particularly the media.
‘There’s an interesting difference here. If you’ve got a beef with a journalist and you think they’ve not represented you fairly, you can go and have a conversation with that journalist, and you can present them with a case. You can even go to the editor and get some sort of redress. You can’t do that with AI, not in the same way at all.
‘AI is a very powerful and influential stakeholder, but not one that you can necessarily influence back directly. Once a narrative is set, it becomes really, really difficult to counter it. Which is, of course, where PR comes in.’
Trouble can also come if comms practitioners fail to make full use of traditional tools in the PR kit that came way before AI: getting a story out to as many influential sources as possible.
For a practical example, Stuart shared the story of a university industrial dispute. The AI’s narrative was dominated by the trade union’s perspective, because the union had provided multiple touchpoints – website statements, social media, and media quotes. The university, in comparison, having viewed the situation as negative, only responded directly to journalists:
‘The trade union gave them half a dozen quotes – the university gave them one. It just wasn’t credible. This is what AI as a stakeholder actually means. The more touchpoints that AI can find to verify that a piece of information is a fact, the more likely it is to be included in that AI answer.’
Shifting narratives and the speed of change
Anne reflected on the speed of adoption, noting that CIPR’s AIinPR 2018 literature review could not have predicted the current reach of generative models. She admitted that while the PR industry was initially slow to adopt and adapt, it has quickly developed an ‘obsession with tools’ rather than considering the broader implications:
‘We didn’t realise that AI is a stakeholder for the whole organisation. We are only now waking up to the fact that we have an enormous role in the governance of these systems. At the end of the day, we’re talking about the legitimacy of whole organisations.’
Stuart emphasised the need for PR and comms teams to factor AI’s influence into strategies now, particularly to curtail false narratives, misinformation, and disinformation:
‘If organisations aren’t doing something now, it’s too late.
‘NATO published a paper on misinformation and disinformation and one of the concepts that NATO talks about a lot is “pre-bunking” and “inoculation” – making sure that your information is out there. And that’s what you need to do with AI – it’s too late to wait, and watch, and see. You actually need to be making sure that it understands your perspective now – it’s not just as simple as dealing with a truculent journalist or an activist group. AI is influenced by a multitude of sources.’
Navigating governance and internal responsibility
With a lack of one source of truth regarding the ethical use of AI, Stuart highlighted the importance of ‘living and breathing’ internal governance and responsibility, involving continuous training and feedback loops:
‘Too often what people try to do is create an AI policy, and on its own, that’s fairly meaningless. Governance is something entirely different. The policy only means something if you’ve done some training to go with it.’
Stuart introduced the concept of a ‘social license’ for AI — gaining trust from other stakeholders, internal and external, for how an organisation embraces the technology.
‘It’s making sure that it’s not just about how you as PR people or comms people are using AI, but how the organisation is embracing it. How on earth do we get trust from all of our other stakeholders for the things that we might want to do with AI? How do we bring our employees with us? How do we make sure that we’re using it in the most sustainable way possible?
‘What are we doing to address issues around bias and inclusivity, fairness and access? The answer is going to be different for each organisation.’
What can the industry do now to work with this new stakeholder?
Both speakers offered critical advice for practitioners to follow now. Anne urged the comms industry to continue to question what AI offers and evolve their approach as the technology changes:
‘Constantly ask yourself three questions: Why are we using AI? How is it built? And who is it going to be affecting?
‘Remember, it’s not just an agent at your service; it’s an equaliser of power that takes a stake in you and your organisation as much as you use it to influence others.’
Stuart expressed concern that hype, and confusion, around terms like Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is turning a portion of comms people off of thinking about the ramifications of AI as a stakeholder:
‘There is a lot of hype, but the fundamental point remains: you must renew your communication strategy. If comms people aren’t thinking about this this year, they’re going to be in real trouble.’
Simple tips for AI-friendly outreach
When asked for tips on making media outreach more AI-friendly, Stuart was adamant: do not write for machines.
‘We should still 100% be writing for humans. However, it’s possible to write for humans in an AI-friendly way so that AI can understand and read it as well.’
He identified three factors AI prioritises:
Recency: AI likes fresh content to supplement its training data. If you have a research report, keep refreshing it with new aspects.
Relevance: AI recognises specialist niche titles and trade media. Some syndicate titles that practitioners sometimes sneer at are actually vital because AI uses them to fill data gaps.
Reputation: AI looks for ‘proof points,’ like whether a spokesperson has a matching biography on the website or a consistent LinkedIn profile.
Stuart suggested that practitioners must broaden their scope of stakeholders. While first-tier earned media remains important, much of it is hidden behind paywalls. AI will look elsewhere for information:
‘When a comms team is doing outreach, if the CEO has got a limited time to do interviews, it changes the priority of the ones we’re going to accept. When we talk about owned media – not just necessarily talking about your own owned media – often we’re talking about partners, suppliers, or customers, and what they’re publishing and sharing.
‘We are in public relations – the key word is “relations”. Sometimes we focus on two small a segment of stakeholders. We might look at the media, we might look at politicians, but it needs to be a lot broader than that.
‘We really need to understand all of the relationships that an organisation has and think about whether we can manage those relationships in a better way, but also what impact that’s going to have on AI answers, because it is going to have an impact on both.
‘Fundamentally, organisations need relationships to exist. You can’t exist in a vacuum, so it’s important that we get this right.’
And to finish on a positive note: Anne saw great opportunity for public relations’ new stakeholder in AI – bringing new ways to connect and relate:
‘That’s one positive thing that AI can help us with. Look at the spread of relationships that are going to help us get traction with a whole range of other organisations, and influential people.’
For more on how AI is speeding up the spread of information – and challenges to the comms industry – check out our previous webinar ‘AI, Disinformation and the Risks They Pose for Communicators Today‘ with Thomas Barton, Executive Director of the Council for Countering Online Disinformation and CEO of Polis Analysis.
AI as the New PR & Comms Stakeholder
AI is no longer just a tool, but a force shaping how information is surfaced, interpreted, and acted on across the communications industry.
This webinar explores what this shift means for reputation, stakeholder influence and communications strategy — and where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) fit within this evolving landscape.
Expertise comes from Dr Anne Gregory, Professor Emeritus of Corporate Communication at the University of Huddersfield, and Stuart Bruce, PR Futurist and Co-founder of Purposeful Relations.
Fill in the form below to watch the webinar and learn:
- How AI behaves and influences as a stakeholder in its own right
- The challenges and opportunities AI presents as a new audience
- The long-term impact of AI and LLMs on the communications landscape
Home improvement advice, running coaches and gardening experts: How to get UK press coverage in April 2026
What are journalists looking to cover in April and beyond? With another big holiday now behind us in Easter, it can be tricky to know what topics might stand out for the media in among all the current affairs and trending issues. From insight via the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service (which is now also available in the Vuelio platform), we share what journalists have been looking for recently and where you can expect to get media coverage over the next month or so.
Interest in home improvements rising
The Home & Garden category is always a popular one on the Journalist Enquiry Service but recently ‘home’ has been cropping up in a lot of enquiries – in March, it appeared in 11% of the total for the month. Within this, there were also around 2% focused solely on ‘interiors’ as journalists look to get experts and comment on ways that people can make home improvements before the summer arrives.
Journalists at Your Home, Livingetc, Homebuilding & Renovating, House Beautiful, Metro, Daily Mail, and Ideal Home all sent enquiries last month relating to the home. These included looking for case studies of interior designers or influencers who have created a beautiful home, expert commentary about using vintage pieces from the 1960s in homes, home storage products to review and for information on a Spring/Summer home, garden & DIY makeover feature.
Going forward? In April last year, ‘home’ appeared in just over 8% of the total requests meaning that journalists will continue to be looking for experts, products to review and case studies for the rest of this month and likely into May as well. Interior designers are particularly popular but anything home-related will have a good chance of securing media coverage in either consumer magazines or websites.
Running and fitness experts in demand
Marathon season is very much upon us with the Brighton marathon taking place last weekend, and Manchester happening this weekend, before London on 26 April. The media has been looking for experts in this field, and ‘running’ has cropped up in 2.5% of requests in March. Journalists have also looked to cover health and fitness more generally as well and ‘fitness’ appeared in just over 2% of the enquiries last month.
The running-related requests have included the best running essentials for beginners inspired by the London Marathon, a physiotherapist specialising in running, and PTs and running experts to provide advice and tips on carbon plate trainers. Meanwhile, the fitness enquiries have seen journalists looking for diet and fitness transformations of women over 40, information on the new wave of wearable health and fitness tech you can talk to, and a physiologist or sports science expert to provide comment for a piece about cardio fitness.
Going forward? We are very much into ‘running season’ right now and the media are regularly looking for experts (running coaches, former athletes, and personal trainers) to help give advice or tips to tie in with their articles. Running appeared in 2% of the total requests in April last year, so we would expect to see similar engagement this year. Fitness more generally is a frequent keyword on the service and normally offers up more opportunities to feature case studies and products to review. If you have experts ready to give comment then they could get coverage in Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, The Times, Marie Claire, or The Independent as journalists from all these titles sent a request last month.
Gardening tips and advice wanted
With Spring now fully in bloom and better weather (slowly) returning, journalists look to cover gardening tips and tricks to share with their readers. ‘Gardening’ appeared in a little over 5% of all the requests in March with ‘plants/planting’ featuring in 1.5% as the media sought advice on what flowers and shrubs people should be looking to plant during this season.
Journalists at Country Living, Good Housekeeping, PA Media, Gardens Illustrated, and woman & home have all sent gardening-related enquiries in March. These have mainly been asking for experts to answer questions such as solving daffodil blindness, whether you should get rid of caterpillars and about self-seeding plants. There have also been a few case study requests for people who grew their own balcony garden in a city apartment, and for products to review such as lawnmowers and other gardening equipment.
Going forward? April last year saw a similar level of interest in gardening to March this year with 5% of all enquiries being around this topic, and it then increased in May 2025 to over 6%. Journalists will tend to seek out gardening experts to share their advice but there will also be the chance to get products featured and case studies as well.
Other opportunities for PRs in April and beyond
The current war in the Middle East has generated a lot of media attention and that has fed through to the Journalist Enquiry Service as well, particularly in relation to ‘energy’ which appeared in just over 3% of the requests last month. The war’s impact on gas and oil prices has been the main focus of journalists sending requests and we are likely to see more enquiries regarding energy experts and analysts to share their insight going forward over the next few weeks and months.
Another topical issue is the ‘environment’ and that cropped up in 3% of all enquiries in March. With Earth Day taking place on 22 April, there is likely to be a greater focus from the media on this topic. If you have environmental experts or case studies of people that are making a difference to reduce their impact on climate change and global warming, then they could well get national or broadcast coverage.
Want to get the most out of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service? Find out how here.
Health in Focus: Resident doctors & devolved elections
For the 15th time since March 2023, the resident doctors went on strike following the Easter break, bringing the cumulative cost of the dispute, according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, to an estimated £3bn. The strikes have developed following a breakdown in talks between the Government and the BMA. The passing of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act earlier this year, which was originally intended to be conditional on positive BMA talks, briefly hinted at a thaw in hostilities. Streeting has also spoken positively about talks, saying that he believed the Government and the BMA had ‘collectively constructed a serious, good-faith attempt to resolve this dispute’. The deal presented by the Government included a minimum pay rise of 3.5%; higher pay rises on average for the lowest paid foundation year 1 (FY1) and foundation year 2 (FY2) doctors, at 6.2% and 7.1% respectively; reform of the pay structure leading to more frequent pay rises; at least 4,000, and up to 4,500, additional specialty training posts over the next three years, with at least 1,000 of these beginning this year; reimbursement of mandatory royal college exam fees; and substantial contract reforms to locally employed doctors.
Despite these ‘constructive talks’, the BMA has accused the Government of moving the ‘goalposts’ at the last minute, moving from a two-year pay uplift to a staggered increase distributed across three years. From the Government’s perspective, the BMA’s expectations are ‘unreasonable and unrealistic’, triggering a regression into the bitter hostilities seen previously with public appearances laced with high criticism and dismay at the actions of the opposing parties, rather than the ‘collective’ reasoning and negotiation. On the picket line, Chair of the BMA Dr Jack Fletcher said that the Government is now refusing to talk with the BMA and offer a ‘credible deal’ that does not have real-term pay cuts baked in. The Government chose, through the Prime Minister, to publish an article in The Times, saying the rejection of the deal was reckless and benefited no one. At the time, Starmer issued a 48-hour ‘take it or leave it’ ultimatum which went unheeded. This ‘strongman’ approach seems to show the Government reverting to type on this issue, having responded to calls for a more collaborative and respectful approach to dealing with the BMA in the past. Since the conclusion of the strikes, Streeting has also been unequivocally sharp in his frustration and criticism with the BMA’s actions, asking them to ‘stop pretending that this government can sort out everything for everyone everywhere all at once’ and calling their claims ‘categorically untrue’ and ‘nonsensical’.
A key aspect of the Government’s ultimatum was that if the strikes went ahead, the Government would have to pull the 1,000 specialty training places put on the table for the current training round. The Government has said this was being pulled to cover the costs of the strikes, taking place in a period to cause the most ‘havoc’ to the NHS. For them, this was not a punishment nor a threat, but a logistical choice the BMA has made. This move has been criticised, including by Jeremy Corbyn MP who called the move a ‘disgrace’ that will cause patients to suffer and push doctors to leave the UK and work overseas. Once again, this highlights the irregularity of negotiations between the Government and trade unions more widely. To seek an end to a dispute there must be negotiations between the two parties involved, and where an agreement can’t be reached compromise is sought from the parties. If a compromise can’t be reached then the Government must opt to either exit negotiations or leverage themselves in the negotiation to reach a compromise. The issue arises where leverage over public sector workers, such as pulling training places, ultimately always harms the public and the Government’s objectives as well as those on strike.
This creates a paradox where the Government is forced to leverage against its own ambitions while the trade union stays, as it seems, in an uncompromising stance able to criticise this leverage as harming the public. Of course, the Government could do more and spend more to appease the concerns of the BMA, drawing money away from other key areas in the healthcare sector, or the wider public purse as a whole. But as noted by Streeting, this could cost over £30bn a year once all public sector employees are considered. Importantly, when we look at the BMA itself, its own employees have chosen to strike having been offered a 2.75% pay rise, notably below the 3.5% Government offer to doctors which the BMA has described as a ‘crushing blow’. This possible irony encompasses the complex nature of this situation and the frustration that stems from the Government. Nevertheless, the Government must square this circle to alleviate further criticisms, whether those are calls for more financial generosity and ‘backing’ of the NHS, or for an outright ban of doctors strikes. The latter, which according to the FT is reportedly under review by senior health officials, could represent a seismic shift in industrial relations.
The upcoming local and devolved national elections will prove hugely consequential for the Government with polls placing its popularity at record lows. For the Labour party, the bar for success is probably the lowest it has ever been, with no control over Scotland nor Wales being deemed a probability rather than a disaster as it once was. Reform, Plaid Cymru and the SNP, the strongest cohort of the non-traditional parties in the upcoming elections, look set to dominate both in Scotland and Wales, bolstering a wide array of proposals in the health space. It is useful to examine the likely winners and understand, specifically in the case of a probable coalition Government in Wales, what policies are the sticking points for parties. The SNP is polling strongly in Scotland, relative to what could have been a difficult election. According to a MRP poll conducted on behalf of the National Newspaper, the SNP is predicted to win a small majority, taking home above 30% of the vote. The party’s manifesto is yet to be published but will highlight the steps ahead for the health sector.
In Wales, current polling suggests a Plaid Cymru win, with Reform taking second spot, and the incumbent Welsh Labour Government falling to less than 25% of the seats, a huge drop for a long-lasting administration. Polling also suggests a possible coalition bridged between Plaid Cymru with Labour and/or the Greens. For Plaid Cymru this presents a decision to either form an alliance with the experienced Government-ready Labour Party or the fresher and arguably more ideologically-aligned Green Party to form a workable Government.
In its manifesto, Plaid Cymru sets out two key pledges to recruit 100 additional salaried GPs and establish 10 new surgical hubs to tackle regional ‘postcode lotteries’. The vision presents a decentralised governance model, seeking to remove political influence by transferring responsibility for placing boards into special measures to a reformed NHS Executive specifically tasked with managing operations set out by the Government. In its plan for the First 100 Days set out in February, Plaid Cymru said that it would also commission an independent review on the performance of the NHS in Wales and establish a health finance efficiency team to drive fiscal performance. This focus on efficiency is a key pillar throughout all manifestos, highlighting the cross-party consensus on the plethora of waste in the current slow-acting, overly bureaucratic NHS system. Plaid Cymru also pledges a Real Living Wage for social care workers and the implementation of a ‘no wrong door’ approach to mental health that bridges the gap between child and adult services. A core part of Plaid Cymru’s plan for Wales is a shift to prevention, centred around a new dedicated Minister for Public Health. Other initiatives outlined by the manifesto include greater emphasis on social prescribing and nature-based interventions, 28-day guarantees for Carer’s Needs Assessments, and a ‘young cancer travel fund’ to assist patients with the hidden costs of seeking treatment far from home.
Reform UK’s plan for Wales focuses closely on structural accountability, performance-driven management, and a return to standardised care. The proposal is a comprehensive emergency action plan to scale up planned care and eliminate corridor care through national patient flow standards. A key theme is professional rigor: an intention to tie health board leadership pay and contracts directly to performance while amending the NHS Wales Act to allow for direct ministerial intervention in cases of persistent failure. Reform also seeks a reversal of the NHS’s approach to identity and language, pledging to end the use of the term ‘birthing persons’ and strictly maintaining single-sex wards. The plan also includes modernising the NHS Wales App, standardising IT systems, and introducing targeted recruitment incentives for dentists in rural areas. It also emphasises ‘lawful resident status’ as a requirement for NHS eligibility, framing healthcare as a benefit reserved for those with legal standing.
The Green Party’s vision for Wales centres on transforming the nation into a ‘Marmot nation’ where health equity is a national mission, moving away from fragmented, disease-led models toward a system built on prevention and long-term wellbeing. This vision begins at the first 1,000 days of life, with the manifesto focusing on strong access to perinatal care and youth mental health, while enshrining the right to healthy food and regulating harmful food environments to treat obesity as a public health challenge. The manifesto also calls for a 20–30 year workforce plan, improved gender-affirming care, and a gendered approach to mental health. Through the expansion of Nature for Health programs and the retention of 20mph speed limits, the policy seeks to integrate environmental health with medical care.
Welsh Labour’s manifesto proposes a £4bn Hospitals of the Future Fund, which aims to drive new hospital builds and major developments across the country. The primary care strategy hinges on a guaranteed appointment for medical needs and a significant expansion of dental services, including a new dental school and a revised dental contract. Labour also places a heavy emphasis on specialised health plans, specifically targeting women’s health with dedicated actions for endometriosis and incontinence, alongside maternal mental health support. Their preventative agenda is notably interventionist in line with national Government proposals, seeking a ban on energy drink sales to under-16s and exploring new planning restrictions to keep takeaways away from school grounds. To ensure delivery, Welsh Labour plans to regulate NHS managers and set a strict 26-week target for all NHS appointments.
With the May elections less than a month away, polling suggests that Labour will fall short in both Wales and Scotland. The current projected winners, Plaid Cymru and SNP, will likely represent a greater push for the devolution of powers and authority in the health space, further decentralising control. Greater devolution, while reaping the benefits of care managed closer to home, could also lead to weaker cross-border healthcare and policy synchronisation across the UK, potentially exacerbating health inequalities. This is a vital consideration the aforementioned parties must take when deciding to take steps asymmetrical to the UK Government. Meanwhile, the UK Government is still attempting to wade through the miry depths of as low as 16% in polls. There is wide speculation that a catastrophic round of May elections, however that will be defined, could see the likes of Angela Rayner or Streeting come into play. The latter of whom the BMA could will be happy to see the back of as Health Secretary…
PR opportunities for media outreach this month: The latest updates on the Vuelio platform
In the fast-paced world of public relations, success often comes down to timing – and precision. To help you hit the mark this month, the Vuelio research team has been busy adding new opportunities for media outreach and connection to the platform.
April has been a month of significant expansion and refinement – from forward features, to increased international data, the platform is more primed than ever to help you navigate the media landscape and share your message.
Here is a breakdown of the latest data and trends to inform your strategy for the coming months.
More contacts to leverage across the globe
Our research team has been hard at work to ensure the platform remains accurate and comprehensive for comms. This month, an extra 5,745 outlets were added to the Vuelio Media Database, bringing the total database to over 1.24 million media destinations worldwide.
Our international reach continues to broaden, so if you are managing global accounts, make the most of extra opportunities in these key markets:
United States: +980 new outlets
Italy: +531 new outlets
France: +325 new outlets
South Korea: +220 new outlets
In the UK, we’ve added refreshed and deepened information for 2,671 media contacts, ensuring your outreach engagement rates remain high.
35,000+ forward features now live
There are now 35,684 individual opportunities to dive into for your media outreach.
Instead of reacting to the news cycle, look months ahead to see when major publications are planning features on everything from renewable energy to wedding trends.
How to use this data across sectors:
What Journalists want from PRs this month
The Journalist Enquiry Service, now accessible within the Vuelio platform, remains a vital pulse-check on what the media needs from PRs. In April, the team processed over 2,000 submissions from journalists, broadcasters, and content creators, with the Daily Mail, The i paper, and PA Media leading the charge.
If you are looking for quick wins this month, our data shows that journalists are actively searching for:
Practical Living: Beyond just interiors, there is a shift toward practical advice. Think home improvement, cost-saving tips, and sustainable living.
Broadening Tech Horizons: While AI still dominates the headlines, journalists are now seeking expert commentary on broader digital transformation and how technology impacts traditional business sectors.
Specialist Insight: We are seeing a steady rise in requests for authoritative, human voices to comment on complex health and social topics – get case studies and spokespeople primed and ready.
Best of Lists: There is an insatiable appetite for product reviews and buying guides, particularly in the home and lifestyle categories.
Expert insight: Shift from reactive to proactive
To wrap up this month’s update, we asked our Research team for their top tip for the coming weeks. The consensus? Lead with demand, not lists.
Instead of simply blasting a press release to a pre-saved media list, use Journalist Enquiry Service insights to see what journalists are actually asking for today, and then use the Forward Features tool to see what they will be asking for in three months.
When you approach a journalist with a solution to an editorial gap they’ve already identified, you stop being a pitcher and start being a partner.
Find out more about Vuelio’s suite of products for PR, comms, and public affairs professionals here.
What Gartner’s 2026 comms predictions mean for your strategy and how the latest generation of PR tools can help
Determining the future of your communications strategy shouldn’t feel like guesswork. In 2026, the industry is moving from tactical delivery to an era of strategic value, where the most successful teams act as the architects of an organisation’s social and reputational capital.
Following the PRCA’s update of its official definition of public relations, Gartner’s ‘Top Predictions to Inform 2026 Comms Strategies‘ report lands at a time when the PR and communications profession is redefining itself from the inside out.
Here are predictions that have direct implications for external PR and earned media strategy, and how Vuelio can help comms, PR, and public affairs professionals meet the challenges ahead.
The rise of earned proof in an AI-mediated world
Gartner predicts a fundamental shift in how trust is established. 60% of communications leaders are forecasted to focus their strategy on ‘Earned Proof’ – building trust based on what an organisation can demonstrably show, rather than just what it claims.
In an environment where AI systems increasingly mediate what audiences see, brand reputation will depend on the credible, raw material that both humans and AI models use to determine trustworthiness.
Building this proof means understanding how your stories are being interpreted. Vuelio’s Media Monitoring provides a 360-degree view of your impact across broadcast, print, online, and social media. However, in a fragmented landscape, a list of clips is no longer enough.
This is where Lumina, our AI suite built specifically for PR and comms, becomes vital. Its Stories & Perspectives module moves beyond simple alerts to cluster mentions into narratives, reflecting different media and stakeholder angles. By seeing how stories evolve and where they gain traction, you can identify the exact moment to inject authentic voices, such as employee or customer advocacy, that AI models interpret as markers of trust.
Reputation agility and the end of siloed monitoring
Gartner anticipates that the speed of the news cycle will demand ‘Reputation Agility’; an ability to detect early signals and respond before misinformation enters AI-generated summaries. This is a critical defensive measure, as Gartner predicts that 70% of communications leaders will use AI-driven tools to detect and respond to reputation-damaging content before it reaches a mainstream audience. The path a story takes today is kinetic, often striking political triggers that abruptly change its trajectory.
Navigating this complexity requires breaking down the walls between media management and public affairs. If your platform only tracks one strand of a story, you are missing half the picture.
Vuelio offers a fully integrated platform that connects media monitoring with a comprehensive Political Database and Political Monitoring. This allows you to track a narrative as it travels from a local planning debate to the floor of the House of Commons. Our in-house Policy Research team acts as an extension of your own, flagging relevant announcements and providing the context needed to respond at pace.
‘The path a message takes in today’s multi-platform media and political landscape is often unpredictable, subject to potential rebounds and buffers,’ explains Kelly Scott, VP of Government and Stakeholder at Vuelio. ‘In this environment, it is absolutely vital to correct misinformation at pace, engage with both media and political influencers, and mobilise credible third-party voices.’
Influence intelligence and the role of the central strategist
Gartner posits that PR and comms professionals are transitioning into a central intelligence role. This shift is driven by the need to manage automated influence; Gartner predicts that by 2027, 30% of influencer-driven interactions will be managed by AI entities, requiring comms teams to monitor brand representation not just in headlines, but in the answers generated by AI systems.
Operating as a central strategist requires moving beyond counting clips and towards measuring value creation. Vuelio Insights provides AMEC-accredited analytics that allow you to track share-of-voice and key message penetration, linking coverage directly back to commercial goals.
Vuelio’s Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) is purpose-built for the nuances of comms. It serves as a corporate memory, allowing your team to log every interaction, from a call with a journalist to a meeting with a civil servant, in one searchable place. This ensures your organisation speaks with one voice, protecting your reputation across all channels.
In this evolving landscape, the PR professional is becoming the primary architect of brand reputation, tasked with influencing both human audiences and the intelligent agents that interpret what those audiences see. By aligning human trust with machine interpretation through a unified platform, you can transition from being a communicator to a strategic leader who predicts shifts and advises at the highest level.
Future proofing your strategy
The future of comms is integrated, evidence-led, and highly strategic. At Vuelio, we believe that providing the right intelligence infrastructure is the only way for organisations to operate at the speed and scale this new environment requires. Our commitment is to empower communications teams to deliver meaningful impact by turning complex data into actionable strategy.
By unifying media, political, and stakeholder intelligence into one ecosystem, we’re here to help you understand not just what is happening, but why, and what to do about it.
Want more about stakeholders strategy? Sign up to Vuelio’s upcoming webinar on an increasingly important stakeholder in 2026 – artificial intelligence. Join us for ‘AI as the New PR & Comms Stakeholder‘ on 21 April.
