In our latest PR and Comms Agency Growth Tracker 2023, we asked what impact, if any, ChatGPT is having on the industry.

One-third (33%) of our agency CEOs based in the UK and internationally concede that ChatGPT is having a significant impact, but there is a cautionary tone in the air.

What impact, if any, is ChatGPT having on the PR & Comms industry?

Mixed views

This from one agency CEO "ChatGPT is overhyped. Great writers still have their place. But it will have a huge impact on the ‘low end’ of the PR market and will also accelerate a lot of what is done by teams delivering high-quality PR.”

One comms leader goes further saying: "Other than filling pages and pages of industry press with speculation about its impact, CGPT is having little practical impact yet. It’s probably being used at the outer edges for things like pure SEO PR but, for mainstream comms I don’t see huge applications in the short term other than for novelty and ‘pitch candy’.”

One CEO points to an obvious advantage with this technology: "It can automate some aspects of content marketing where the content is not intended for publication”, whilst another leader observes: "From reading articles online there is clear debate discussion and use of the tool. Also many webinars, etc, to discuss its impact on not just PR but wider marketing.”

The scores show it’s a given that this technology is making headway, but perhaps the challenge lies more with how ChatGPT can be used to enhance or improve the craft that is PR and communications. Suffice to say, it is unlikely we’re looking at immediate and seismic change.

Early days

The last word sits with this managing director: "I think we're at the beginnings of this story to be honest. Whilst we are seeing both some positive and negative stories swirl, for most agencies this is (or should be) about taking the time to experiment and understand the ways in which ChatGPT can evolve its offerings, and the work it is best placed to take over, so their talent can focus elsewhere."

Methodology

The PR and Comms Agency Growth Tracker pulsed around 340 PR and comms agency CEOs based in the UK and internationally

Written by Imogen Osborne, founder of The Pulse Business