.png)
By Ellen Edelman, Executive Vice President
Let’s call it: the content landscape has officially entered its AI era. We’re seeing smarter tools, faster workflows, and a seemingly endless stream of auto-generated assets—blog posts, emails, press releases, social video scripts—produced in seconds.
Efficiency? Through the roof.
But connection? That’s a different story.
Because while AI in content creation offers scalability and speed, it often strips out the spark that makes people care. The nuance. The tone. The timing. The soul. And in communications—where trust and resonance are everything—that tradeoff is too costly.
It’s time to recalibrate. Not to resist AI, but to refocus on what makes content meaningful in the first place: people. If content is king, humanity is queen—and the crown only works when both sit on the throne.
The Efficiency of AI in Content Creation
Let’s give AI its due.
It’s radically improving how communication teams operate. PR and comms teams can now draft outlines, repurpose existing copy, and even generate social-ready visuals at scale. When bandwidth is tight, AI helps you move fast.
Here’s what it does well:
- Repetition: Creating first drafts, summaries, and headlines
- Formatting: Adapting content for different channels
- Speed: Eliminating bottlenecks in review-heavy workflows
In short, it’s solving the logistics problem.
But with that comes a new challenge—quality content vs. mass production. Just because something is easy to make doesn’t mean it’s worth publishing. AI can crank out 50 variations of a product description or press release. But does it actually move the audience? That’s a human question.
Used correctly, AI can enhance creativity by freeing us from the grind. But left unchecked, it risks overwhelming audiences with noise. And if everything sounds the same, nothing stands out.
→ Explore more in our piece on premium public relations
The Limits of AI: Why Personality Still Wins
You know the feeling—you read something technically correct, maybe even well-structured, but it doesn’t feel like it came from anyone.
That’s the hallmark of AI-generated content: it can imitate, but not originate. And in doing so, it often erases the elements that make communication memorable.
Because communication isn’t just about information—it’s about emotion. Emotional intelligence in content helps us read the room. It tells us when to be concise and when to go long. It knows when to pause for effect, when to crack a joke, and when to go silent.
AI doesn’t do that well. It lacks tone and nuance in copywriting, and that’s where it consistently falls short—especially in high-stakes communications where brand trust is on the line.
Human writers know the difference between “we’re excited” and “we’re proud.” We know when a message is too polished, when it needs vulnerability, or when a moment calls for brevity instead of branding.
This is the invisible work that builds resonance—and right now, it’s still ours alone.
Humanity in the Content Process: Where People Shine
The best communicators know how to connect, not just broadcast. That’s a human skill—and it matters more than ever.
Human touch in digital storytelling means more than dropping in a founder quote. It means crafting a narrative that feels intentional, empathetic, and rooted in lived experience. It means building campaigns that speak to people, not at them.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Tapping into real voices: Employees, leaders, and customers—not just spokespeople
- Injecting brand personality: Tone, humor, and voice that AI can't replicate
- Knowing the cultural moment: What’s resonating now, and how your message fits in
A strong personality-driven content strategy not only differentiates your brand—it builds loyalty. And as AI becomes more common, that differentiation will become even more critical.
To stand out, we’ll need to keep humanizing automated content. That might mean editing an AI draft to sound more “us,” adding nuance to a generic talking point, or choosing not to automate something simply because we can.
→ Looking for trusted partners who do this well? See how PR firms in San Francisco are evolving in this space.
Leveraging AI to Amplify (Not Replace) Human Creativity
Let’s shift the mindset: AI isn’t here to compete with creators—it’s here to amplify them.
Used strategically, AI delivers serious workplace efficiency. It removes friction from planning and production, helping teams move faster with fewer bottlenecks. But its real value comes when we use it to support human-led storytelling—not replace it.
Think of AI as the assistant:
It drafts the outline. You deliver the insight.
It suggests the structure. You shape the story.
It builds the base. You bring the brilliance.
That’s what balancing AI and creativity really means: giving your team more time and mental space to think big, dig deep, and create stories that actually matter.
So yes, use AI to enhance creativity—but only in service of ideas that are worth sharing in the first place.
Personalization, Storytelling, and Connection
If attention is currency, then connection is capital. And right now, the most successful brands are doubling down on both.
Personalization in marketing communications isn’t just about addressing someone by name. It’s about delivering content that speaks to their context, their concerns, their aspirations.
That’s where storytelling in brand marketing makes all the difference. A good story sticks. A great one spreads. And a story that feels human—told in a voice your audience trusts—that’s where loyalty lives.
In a sea of AI content, the brands that win will be the ones with the clearest voice, the sharpest point of view, and the deepest understanding of their audience.
That’s the power of authentic content marketing. It’s not about perfection—it’s about resonance.
→ Curious how this applies to complex sectors? See our take on financial public relations firms
Conclusion: Long Live the Queen
AI is here to stay. It’s smart. It’s fast. It’s scalable.
But human-centric content creation still reigns in every way that counts—voice, emotion, trust, and impact. As PR and marketing professionals, our challenge isn’t whether to use AI. It’s how to use it without losing our voice in the process.
Because in the new digital order, content may still be king—but without humanity, it’s ruling alone.
“The role of humanity in digital media isn’t a counterpoint to progress—it’s the heart of it.”
Ready to future-proof your content strategy?
Let’s build something that moves people.
Let’s talk.
