Ethical AI for PR: Five Questions to Guide Your Strategy

By Brenda Foster 

ChatGPT has become my best friend. I know it will deliver what I need in a pinch—even if it’s not perfect. A quick list of TV and radio stations serving Bristol, TN? Check. Ten recipes using the quickly expiring root vegetables in my fridge? Done! 

Much like human relationships, I’m aware of AI’s limitations and vulnerabilities—and I always have an eye out for signs that the relationship might be toxic. 

A University of California at Riverside study showed that 20 to 50 ChatGPT queries use around a half liter of fresh water in the form of steam emissions, but a study in Nature highlighted some benefits of that efficiency: AI tools emit between 130 and 1500 times less carbon per page of text generated compared to human writers. Considering all the tradeoffs can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to see why many in PR are concerned about exploring AI use in their work.

Understanding how to assess the ethics of AI use in PR is crucial, particularly as we’re being doused with a firehose of AI innovation. Our firm’s AI task force has spent the past six months exploring environmental, copyright and other well-known issues to guide our PR colleagues and clients. We developed five key questions to help us determine whether a tool meets our ethical standards. 

Who is impacted if we use this tool?

The personal and professional impact of AI tools can be far-reaching and fraught with competing barriers and benefits. For example:

• Are there trained professionals who are losing opportunities because they’re being replaced with AI?
• Is it ethical to use an AI-generated actor, voice or model in place of the real thing?
• Are text or images being generated from work that was originally created by someone else? 

Fully replacing human performers and writers devalues human artistry and eliminates the depth of emotion and authenticity that AI cannot replicate. However, there are incredible opportunities for AI to help us work faster and smarter. AI tools can boost opportunities for a PR team by giving them a chance to move beyond repetitive, mundane tasks that don’t allow them to fully use their skills and creativity. Evaluating these issues related to each tool is a critical part of practicing ethical AI. 

Who is left out if we use this tool?

Dr. Joy Buolamwini has spent her career unmasking the coded gaze of technology, where baked-in prejudice abounds, including bias related to race and gender. AI algorithms have offered lower credit limits to women and incorrectly flagged black defendants as future criminals at twice the rate of white defendants. While AI shows potential in bridging barriers for people with disabilities, it may not fully address their diverse needs. When assessing these tools, research how the AI was trained and how they are monitoring for bias. Most importantly, ensure developers maintain a continuous feedback loop with users to quickly identify and correct biases.

How does this tool help us pursue our mission?

Despite concerns about AI conflicting with organizational ethics, AI can significantly enhance the pursuit of a mission. Its ability to quickly analyze large datasets allows for more efficient monitoring of trends and challenges. Even with the potential environmental toll of AI, it’s currently being deployed to precisely determine the most critical areas of need related to deforestation and climate change. Schools can use AI to track individual student progress and pinpoint specific interventions to help. However, overreliance on AI can diminish human interaction, leading to a loss of empathy and understanding in sensitive situations, potentially alienating donors or customers. AI's capabilities might also cause mission drift by shifting focus to data and metrics over qualitative activities that support the core mission. Selecting AI tools for PR should involve weighing their benefits and risks against the organization's goals.

What do our employees need to maximize use of this tool?

Diving into new AI tools can be exhilarating—and encouraging employees to experiment is an important part of gaining enthusiasm and support for advancing technology. The downside is that, without clear guardrails and a training plan, users can quickly find themselves in an ethical pickle. ChatGPT is the perfect example of a free tool that offers endless possibilities for generating information, yet headlines about misuse, plagiarism and poor data abound. Start with a policy that outlines basic organizational operating principles related to AI. For each new tool, take the time to educate and inform employees about the functions and benefits, then stay in touch over the first few weeks to determine whether there are any operational or ethical concerns. Provide training and support for those who are less comfortable with recent technology and highlight success stories when the tool improves processes or outcomes. Finally, be open to criticisms or concerns about the tool and its impact on employee growth and satisfaction. 

What are the ultimate risks and harms of using this tool?

There will be AI tools for PR that, no matter how exciting and helpful, just don’t meet the ethical or privacy standards for an organization. Many tools haven’t corrected some very real concerns about bias, while others operate in open systems where your information and data become part of the algorithm training. Some PR tools are currently free, but what happens when a department makes them part of its operation, and the tool suddenly has a subscription fee? Practicing ethical AI in PR starts with a thoughtful, purposeful approach that considers the tough questions about privacy and security, bias and fairness, copyright, costs and mission alignment. 

There are certainly tremendous tradeoffs to consider related to using AI in PR, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore AI and hope it goes away. Like computers, the internet and social media, these tools will evolve in exciting and unexpected ways. Only with our eyes open can we forge the path toward the ethical use of them in our profession. 

Brenda K. Foster, M.P.A., is a senior vice president at Vanguard Communications in Washington, D.C., and an instructor for the graduate program at American University’s School of Communications. She was named a PR News Top Woman in PR and was a finalist for WWPR Woman of the Year.