You are ready for AI – jump in

Posted by admin on Mar. 12, 2026  /  Subscribe 0

All the way back in November… 2025… My predecessor, Immediate Past President Chris Ruth shared tips on how to find time to learn AI. Here we are only four months later and it feels like a whole new world where using AI for PR professionals and marketers is non-negotiable. The feverish pace of change that AI has ushered in requires that we use it, and if we get it right we’ll discover ways to work smarter, not harder. 

Easier said than done, I know. 

But let’s not forget that many of us have been here before.

I was in my first year working at Hill and Knowlton in Houston, and my cube mate Mike, with his long salt-and-pepper hair, bushy mustache and wire-rimmed glasses said, “Hey, have you heard of this thing called Google?”

For those of us making our way in our careers in the early 2000s we adjusted to all the changes that came with the democratization of the world wide web and the proliferation of email. As communicators our worlds expanded and sped up (bye bye fax machines) in the blink of an eye.

What’s the reason for my mosey down ancient memory lane?

It’s to remind many of you that this ain’t your first rodeo, and to assure our young and mid-career professionals that you no doubt will master AI as it comes and will evolve and improve our profession as a result.

With the introduction of any new technology there will be the innovators and the early adopters and there will be the late majority and laggards. I encourage all of you to be among the early adopters or early majority and jump in. 

At the core of these technologies are connection and communication. The nature of our jobs as communicators positions us to be super users. Our writing, planning and communication skills are what enable us to converse with and create AI agents. Our logic and critical thinking enable us to discern if the outputs are comprehensive and/or legitimate, and our commitment to ethical practices drives us toward governance and transparency when using these tools.

If you’re feeling hesitant about trying AI and don’t know where to start, PRSA members have access to free, on-demand webinars about AI. You can start here with The Entrepreneurial AI Edge: A Shift Framework for PR Success. You also could join the AI Community in MyPRSA to ask questions or connect with savvy users. Or offer to buy a friend or colleague a cup of coffee in exchange for giving you a tour of an AI platform.

For those who want to jump in with two feet and no floaties, you can use our upcoming program The 48-Second Perfect Pitch—On the 48th Floor on March 26, at the Tower Club as a way to practice. Use your AI platform of choice - ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini or Grok - to help you draft your pitch. Start your prompt by introducing yourself, explain the challenge and ask for a pitch draft that will charm our judges. Have some fun with it and write multiple pitches with different tones of voice and expressions until you find the one you love!

Feel free to tell me about your experiences at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you.

A few more reminders:

Thank you for being PRSA Dallas members. I appreciate you and look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.

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