Examining proposed generative AI integrations in public relations: Offering participatory (AI) public relations

This study explores the instructional guidance provided to public relations practitioners on utilizing Generative AI (GenAI) following the public release of ChatGPT. We took a critical public relations approach to examine how thought leaders, bloggers, and scholars proposed integrating GenAI into public relations practice. Through a critical thematic analysis of 63 blog posts and news articles we sought to understand how instructional guides suggested integrating GenAI tools and the potential implications of these suggestions. We found that the examined texts primarily focused on how GenAI could enhance practitioners’ efficiency, paying limited attention to the possible ethical implications of delegating public relations work to machines. We highlight potential ethical issues associated with GenAI taking over a significant portion of the writing tasks in public relations, and we argue that PR needs to develop alternative ways to utilize GenAI while preserving the unique contributions of human practitioners. We introduce the concept of participatory (AI) public relations , which emphasizes an ontological shift in how public relations understands and uses AI, where outcome is less important than the act of engaging in the practice of public relations.