After AI-chatbot ChatGPT made its public debut in late 2022, PRSA released “Promise & Pitfalls: The Ethical Use of AI for Public Relations Practitioners” at ICON 2023. This past fall, PRSA released an updated version of the guidelines.
“Our latest version has evolved, as the technology has become more widely adopted,” said Linda Staley, APR, Fellow PRSA. “We continue as practitioners to experience both the promise and pitfalls of AI.”
Generative AI offers great potential for PR professionals, but the technology also brings many risks, Staley said during the Feb. 23installment of Member Monday, PRSA’s monthly webinar for members and nonmembers.
Staley is the 2026 chair of PRSA’s Board of Ethics and Professional Standards, which looks at AI in communications “through PRSA’s unique Code of Ethics,” she said. “We’re talking about professionalism, responsibility, and the ethical use of this incredible, incredibly powerful tool that really does promise to transform the way we work.”
Heide Harrell, APR, PRSA’s 2026 chair, hosts Member Monday this year. She asked how the updated AI guidance differs from the original version that PRSA released in 2023.
The updated guidelines emphasize human accountability, transparency and disclosure when using AI in communications, said panelist Michael Cherenson, APR, Fellow PRSA.
“We’re all trying to make sense of this,” he said. “AI is embedded in our workflows now, whether we like it or not.”
With the updated guidelines, “It’s less, ‘Should we use it?’ and more, ‘How do we use it? How do we govern it?’” Cherenson said. “AI is not a moral agent. Responsibility remains with the professional. We need to own the output, and frankly, the inputs.”
The first edition of PRSA’s guidance on AI “was about understanding the technology, and the second edition is about our stewardship” for using the technology ethically in PR, Cherenson said.
AI guidelines rooted in PRSA Code of Ethics
Panelist Holly Kathleen Hall, J.D., APR, is a professor of strategic communications at Arkansas State University. Harrell asked her for a reasonable first step organizations can take toward AI governance.
“The first step any organization needs to take is to do an audit, to see what AI tools they’re currently using,” Hall said. “How are they using them? Are they encountering any problems related to those tools?”
Once those questions are answered, the organization can create a structure around its use of AI, Hall said. She recommended policies for disclosing when an organization uses AI to create content.
Communicators should also double-check that AI-generated content is accurate and unbiased, she said. When using public AI tools, organizations should be careful to protect their internal or proprietary data, Hall said.
“And then track it over a month or a quarter to see if any issues arise with copyrights, trademarks or intellectual property,” she said. “If you can start there and then slowly expand it out, you’ll be in good shape.”
Panelist Lisa Low is an associate professor of practice in public relations and strategic-communication management at Texas Tech University. Harrell asked her how ethical expertise in communications is evolving in the age of artificial intelligence, especially for professionals just starting their careers who need to learn professional judgment.
“The guidelines begin and necessarily end with our Code of Ethics,” Low said. “It’s more important than ever that we help our students and those just starting their careers to understand the Code of Ethics. Through that lens, we can understand how and when we should use the technology.”
Member Mondays is an initiative designed to foster direct engagement and provide valuable information sharing within the PR community. Member Mondays take place on the fourth Monday of each month from 1–1:45 p.m. ET. All programs are free for PRSA members. Sign up for future sessions here.
