Andrew Holland, SEO director at JBH: “Rather than being a challenge, deep research has the potential to be one of PR’s greatest assets. Information is more accessible than ever, unlocking insights at speed and scale, and for PR professionals, this means opportunities are only limited by the quality of the creative input. This shift could increase the demand for reputation management; with the ability to uncover and share information widely, businesses, public figures, and brands may find themselves under greater scrutiny. 

"Platforms like Reddit amplify consumer conversations, and PR teams will play a key role in navigating and monitoring this landscape. For example, a baby food brand might face questions about its ingredients, or a fashion retailer’s sustainability claims could be challenged by new environmental data. We’re also seeing a rise in single-page websites designed to highlight key issues, like UK Foundations, which broke down the complexities of the UK economy in a clear, digestible way. With deep research, similar sites can be created on any topic, holding both brands and individuals to account. As the landscape evolves, PR and media professionals have an opportunity to embrace deep research as a tool for storytelling and managing reputations in an increasingly transparent, information-rich world."

Babar Khan Javed, chief communications officer at Z2C said: "Deep research is about to disrupt the PR industry's sentiment analysis tools in a big way. This thing is like a supercharged research assistant that can autonomously browse the web, generating cited reports on a user-specified topic in a matter of minutes. The implications are huge. Sentiment analysis tools are about to get a whole lot more accurate and comprehensive, thanks to deep research's ability to scour the web for relevant data. 

"But deep research isn't just about speed and accuracy. It's also about context. This thing can consider a broader range of sources, from social media to news articles, giving PR professionals a more nuanced understanding of public sentiment. Of course, there are potential downsides to consider. For one, the quality of the data deep research collects may vary, and let's not forget the potential for algorithmic bias. But overall, it's is a game-changer for the PR industry. Those who don't adapt, will be replaced by those that do."

Kat Dare, director at Ketchum: “Personally, I think AI needs to be approached with a healthy sense of scepticism, not just about the work it produces but also about the intent of the people behind it. When intelligence is controlled and filtered by the few, we don’t know what they are not including – and why. AI is an echo chamber – what we put in is what we get out, so it becomes a repository of sameness, not diversity. In fact, AI is a real threat to our progress in diversity – it takes a plethora of voices to make a difference, a broad board of experiences and lives to make a space inclusive. By condensing all that depth and beauty into one tool, we depersonalise and therefore devalue all that came before.

"And against a backdrop of powers dismantling DE&I in favour of homogeneity, the potential to misuse AI to push a sinister narrative under the guise of impartiality is endless. So ask yourself, how can you trust something which is thinking for you, when you don’t know what its intentions are?”

Stuart Bruce, PR futurist and joint-MD of Purposeful Relations: “AI-powered deep research marks a significant advancement in how PR professionals gather and analyse information. While still very new, our research has already proved the potential of deep research to streamline tasks such as journalist profiling, media list creation, competitor analysis, and industry research. Purposeful Relations’ research into different deep research tools found no single ‘best’ option as even on similar tasks the ‘best’ might be different each time. 

"The most critical limitation across all platforms is the need for rigorous fact-checking. It’s relatively easy to check a familiar subject, making deep research invaluable for first drafts of a report. One concern is whether deep research will negatively impact the media industry by reducing direct traffic to original sources. While this is possible, it may also encourage deeper exploration by providing well-referenced starting points for research. Used correctly, it is a powerful assistant for PR professionals—enhancing efficiency while leaving critical thinking and strategic decisions firmly in our hands.”

Andrew Bruce-Smith, founder at Escherman: Deep research tools are advanced AI agents designed to conduct complex, multi-step research tasks autonomously by synthesising vast amounts of online data into structured reports. I've recently tested various Deep Research agents available from Google, OpenAI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, and X). You can immediately see that these autonomous research tools can significantly impact PR workflows by aggregating vast amounts of online information into structured reports. It’s like having access to a highly skilled research assistant 24/7 at relatively low cost. 

"For example, instead of spending hours manually researching competitor activities or industry trends, a PR professional could quickly generate a detailed and reliable summary, allowing them to focus more on strategic thinking and creative campaigns. The outputs from these tools still need checking. But at least you can see for yourself whether you trust the sources it uses—and verify as appropriate. In the end, these tools will continue to develop. PR professionals should actively evaluate their current workflows, begin experimenting with these AI agents to identify best practices, and establish clear protocols to ensure accuracy, transparency, and adherence to ethical standards."

Brian Snyder, global president, digital at Axicom: “AI deep research isn’t a replacement for PR expertise — it’s a tool that enhances our ability to deliver strategic insights. While some hype it as ‘PhD-level,’ the reality is closer to ‘a really smart intern given a week to do research via the internet’. AI deep research is the future of what PR pros have long called desk research, and the real opportunity lies in how communicators apply and augment its output with human intelligence. Clients don’t pay for raw information; they pay for expert counsel. The key is using deep research to accelerate information gathering while layering in strategic thinking, professional experience, and industry context to transform findings into actionable recommendations.”