New Muck Rack Report Reveals Generative AI Is Now Essential for PR Professionals

Usage among PR pros nearly tripled since March 2023

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Miami, Jan. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Generative AI has become a cornerstone of public relations, with 75% of professionals using the technology. Of those who use it, 78% say it boosts the quality of their work and 93% say it speeds up their work, according to Muck Rack’s third State of AI in PR report. The report surveyed over 1,000 PR professionals to explore how AI is shaping workflows and transforming PR and communications 

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Top AI use cases in PR 
Brainstorming and writing tasks remain the top use cases for AI in PR. The survey revealed that 82% of professionals use AI for brainstorming, 72% leverage it for drafting content and 59% rely on it for research and crafting social media copy. Fifty-seven percent report utilizing at least one paid AI tool. 

There are some areas where AI is less frequently used. Only 21% reported using AI to find journalists.

Interestingly, PR pros edit AI output less frequently than in previous years. In 2024, 61% reported revising most of the text output; in 2025, this figure dropped by 10%. This shift likely reflects improvements in AI’s capabilities.

AI policies and training in the workplace 
Despite widespread adoption, over half of companies lack formal AI usage policies. Among organizations with guidelines, nearly 60% of PR professionals follow them strictly. Access to AI training also remains limited, with more than one-third of respondents reporting formal workplace education on the tools.

There is a notable gap in expectations between brands and agencies. While 37% of brand professionals advocate for full disclosure of AI use by their agency partners, only 20% of agency PR professionals disclose their AI use all the time.

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Concerns about AI in PR
PR professionals remain cautious about AI’s risks. Top concerns include:

• Over-reliance by newcomers on AI instead of learning the principles of the industry
• Unscrutinized AI output 
• The potential of clients or firms to undervalue human content creators

Those not yet using AI also cited environmental concerns.

Methodology 
Muck Rack surveyed 1,013 PR professionals from Nov. 13 to Dec. 17, 2024, and distributed the survey mainly via email.

The responses were reviewed and corrected for any low effort, straight-lining or major outliers. The conservative estimate of the margin of error is +/- 2.9%. Unless otherwise noted, results should not be compared to previous year’s responses due to changes in how the questions were asked.

Download the full report to learn more about the current state of AI in PR. 

About Muck Rack

Muck Rack is the leading provider of award-winning PR software built for how brands and agencies work. The only public relations software powered by intuitive technology and the most accurate, comprehensive data provided by journalists themselves, Muck Rack combines media database, monitoring and reporting for seamless team collaboration, pitching and measurement. Purpose-built for communications and public relations, Muck Rack helps more than 5,000 companies worldwide analyze and report on the impact of their media relations. Thousands of journalists use Muck Rack’s free tools to showcase their portfolios, analyze news about any topic and measure the impact of their stories. Learn more at muckrack.com. 

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