Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a significant megatrend, fundamentally transforming strategic communication. This paradigm shift compels the public relations (PR) profession to re-evaluate its core competencies, ethical boundaries, and strategic value. The author examines the transformative impact of AI on PR roles, using Sohail Inayatullah’s Futures Triangle as the primary conceptual framework. By analysing the interplay between the pull of the future, the push of the present, and the weight of history, this paper maps plausible scenarios for public relations theory and practice. The “pull” captures visionary images of AI-driven PR. The “push” represents contemporary drivers, including rapid technological development, data-centric strategic communication, and micro-targeted messaging. However, these forces confront the “weight” of the past, characterised by the traditional asymmetrical PR model, outdated mindsets regarding PR, and systemic ethical concerns about algorithmic implementation. This analysis maps the tensions between automated efficiency and human-centric public relations management. The paper argues that while AI can automate routine tactical tasks, it elevates the human practitioner's role to that of ethical guardian and high-level strategic adviser. The author outlines the challenges regarding necessary adjustments to PR curricula and professional training for practitioners and educators. This paper demonstrates that analysing the AI megatrend through the Futures Triangle provides the theoretical tools needed to identify historical weights, leverage present drivers, and conceptually construct a resilient future for the PR discipline.

Authors:
Hrvoje Jakopović, University of Zagreb, Croatia

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Hrvoje Jakopović is currently an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, and a member of the Department of Strategic Communication.

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