AI Doesn’t Have a Moral Compass, so Public Relations Professionals Must Be One
Posted on Sep. 1, 2026 / Subscribe 0
By Rosemarie Ascherl-Lenhard, PR Foreman, Sonnhalter & PRSA Cleveland Chapter Mentorship Chair
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly become part of our everyday lives, transforming the way we work, communicate and access information—and creating new opportunities and challenges across the communications industry. While it is useful to draft ideas, summarize readings and reports or summarize data in a clear format, AI can be extremely helpful in acting as an assistant. However, as AI is rapidly evolving, the question is not so much what it can do… but what we as humans should allow it to do.
PR professionals have values that are personable and practical, but AI does not. It lacks an understanding of traits or feelings like empathy, honesty, fairness or accountability. AI is not worried about protecting an individual’s personal information or a company’s trust with the public. It is programmed to produce the most accurate statistics that it can, based on the information it’s been given and trained on. Despite it being efficient, the idea of AI should be a reminder that ethics cannot be automated.
To maintain integrity, PR is heavily built on trust. Every media pitch, crisis response and executive message contributes to the credibility the industry has worked on building. Trust is earned over a period of time and through open communication; just because AI has quick responses does not mean it is building trust. It is not capable of that, even if the wording seems like it is trying to form a connection with the user.
The PRSA Code of Ethics reminds us of our responsibility to uphold advocacy, honesty, expertise, independence, loyalty and fairness. As the use of AI in writing is seen more and more every day, this code becomes extremely important to professionals who might want a quick way out of a press release or other writing assignment.
Consider how often communicators are now asking for AI to draft content, summarize research or brainstorm ideas. While these tools can accelerate the creative process, especially when there is a tight deadline, they can also produce inaccurate information, introduce bias or present ideas without the context that experienced communicators instinctively know to recognize.
AI has no idea what sorts of statements could damage a relationship with a journalist, and it can’t make sense when a message feels fake or too vague during a crisis. Most importantly, it doesn’t understand the long-term impact that one misleading or inaccurate sentence can have on a person’s or brand’s reputation.
The future of public relations does not have to be about becoming better prompt writers. It’s about becoming better editors, better critical thinkers and better ethical decision-makers. The value PR professionals bring is creativity and making important judgement calls, which will always be something that humans do best.
In many ways, AI is prompting us to return to the foundations of the PR profession. As technology continues to evolve, new platforms will emerge, and AI capabilities will become even more refined. So, during this evolving time, it is critical to continue building genuine relationships and remember that AI and humans don’t have to be at odds; AI can help enhance our projects and spark new ideas.
AI can help us work faster and it can help us think differently. But it cannot decide what is ethical, what is truthful or what is in the best interest of the audiences we serve; that responsibility will always belong to humanity. As communications professionals, our greatest competitive advantage won’t be how quickly we adopt AI, it will be how thoughtfully we use it. Because while artificial intelligence has no moral compass, public relations professionals must continue to lead with one.
Rosemarie Ascherl-Lenhard is PR Foreman at Sonnhalter, a B2T [Business-To-Trades] marketing communications firm. She is also the PRSA Cleveland Chapter Mentorship Chair.
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