Meltwater Report Finds Generative AI Now Central to PR Workflows

The growing influence of generative AI is reshaping how public relations teams operate, measure impact, and demonstrate value across the marketing and communications landscape. A new global study from Meltwater and We. Communications shows that generative AI has moved from experimentation to everyday use, signaling a major shift for the MarTech ecosystem as PR functions evolve into strategic business drivers.

Meltwater, a global leader in media, social, and consumer intelligence, partnered with We. Communications to release its first annual State of PR Report. The research is based on responses from more than 1,100 PR and communications professionals worldwide and explores how teams are adapting to rising expectations, limited resources, and increasing pressure to prove return on investment. The findings reveal that more than 90 percent of PR teams have already integrated generative AI into their workflows, although only 13 percent describe that integration as highly advanced.

According to the report, generative AI is most commonly used to support content focused tasks such as drafting press releases, optimizing messaging, and brainstorming ideas. These tools are helping teams manage workloads that are increasingly constrained by flat budgets and growing demands. Many respondents identified reactive work, content creation, and measurement and reporting as the biggest drains on their time, while pointing to trend identification and media coverage summarization as areas where AI can deliver the greatest efficiency gains.

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The study also highlights a turning point in PR measurement. While traditional metrics such as reach and media volume remain widely used, there is growing momentum toward tying communications efforts to concrete business outcomes. More than one third of respondents said aligning PR metrics with business goals is now a top priority. This shift comes as teams cite insufficient resources and difficulty proving ROI as their two biggest challenges.

Despite these pressures, more than half of respondents expect little or no change in PR investment in 2026. At the same time, expectations from leadership continue to rise. Nearly 40 percent of PR professionals said company leaders have a limited understanding of their work, even though more than one third reported that PR budgets depend on CEO approval.

“The world of PR is defined by constant change, yet our research shows that core challenges, specifically proving ROI and fighting a persistent lack of resources, remain front and center,” said John Box, CEO of Meltwater. “What’s different now is that AI powered tools are giving teams concrete ways to improve operational efficiency, gain the insight needed to measure brand performance and ensure the PR function achieves recognition and investment it deserves.”

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Melissa Waggener Zorkin, Global CEO of We. Communications, emphasized the opportunity for communicators to rethink how success is measured. “PR pros do a great job measuring activity, but we’re seeing a missed opportunity when it comes to measuring impact. We now have sophisticated AI solutions that connect communications to reputation and business value in clear, quantifiable ways, giving communicators the data they need to show organization leaders how their work drives real results.”

As generative AI becomes a core component of PR workflows, the report makes clear that technology alone is not the end goal. The real impact for marketers and communicators lies in using AI driven insights to connect storytelling, reputation management, and measurable business outcomes. For the broader MarTech industry, this shift signals a future where PR teams play a more visible and data backed role in driving enterprise value.