Why industrial AI PR can’t just be about pilots and hype
There are a lot of companies developing AI programs or agents, as they now seem to be called, I’ve noticed a recurring theme: innovation that never quite gets the visibility or impact it deserves.
Too often, AI stories begin with a bang: a pilot project, a breakthrough model, an exciting partnership. But then… silence. The initiative doesn’t scale. The narrative fades. And another great use case is shelved, not brought to the attention of the industry through editorial pages.
From a communications perspective, I call this the “proof of concept trap.” And it’s not just a PR issue, it’s a business one.
When companies approach AI as a series of isolated tech projects, it becomes difficult to tell a cohesive, credible story. There’s no strategic arc, no transformation journey, no business alignment. That makes it hard for both media and stakeholders to understand the value of AI, let alone champion it.
What I’ve learnt from working with clients in this area is that AI success needs both scale and structure. I checked this view out with ChatGPT and guess what, it agreed with me!
- Visionary leadership that connects AI to real-world outcomes.
- A culture that welcomes experimentation, failure, and iteration.
- Strong data infrastructure, so your AI doesn’t just work in a lab, but in the real world.
- Operational integration, where AI lives in the business, not just in IT.
- Ethical and governance frameworks that build trust and credibility.
For PR, that means we need to move beyond buzzwords. We need to spotlight AI that’s embedded, delivering, and reshaping industries because that is what editors want to hear. Put simply, we need to help our clients communicate not just what their technology does, but what it means.
If you’re working on AI and struggling to scale the narrative alongside the technology, get in touch! After all, a great story deserves to be heard, especially when it’s changing the future.
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