Using AI Without Losing Our Professional Compass
By Sabrina Kidwai, APR, CAE, PRSA NCC Ethics Office
As we close 2025, it’s been a busy year filled with ethical challenges across sports, politics, and business. One of the major topics at the PRSA International Conference — and in conversations happening across the country — has been the rise of artificial intelligence. It’s a topic we will continue to navigate as AI reshapes how we work.
I received a question relating to AI and the ethics of using it for client work.
As the year wraps up, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting—and worrying. The pace of change in our industry is staggering, especially with the explosion of AI tools being used in everything from writing press releases to pitching media to analyzing sentiment. At my agency, leadership is pushing hard to integrate AI into client deliverables to “stay competitive,” but we haven’t yet set clear guidelines around disclosure, accuracy, or even data privacy.
I’ve been asked to start using generative AI to produce content, and while the efficiency is undeniable, I worry about potential copyright issues, misinformation, and the erosion of human creativity and judgment. Plus, I’m not sure where the line is between my own expertise and what I’m letting a machine generate.
How do I stay ethical, relevant, and employed in a field that seems to be rewriting itself faster than I can update my resume?
— Anxious About the Algorithm
On the surface, using AI can seem helpful — even essential — when developing deliverables for clients. I’ve used AI to brainstorm creative headlines for marketing pieces, blogs, and other content. But as with any new tool, there are important considerations PR professionals must keep in mind.
First, no AI program is perfect — and it’s constantly evolving. Tools like ChatGPT have improved significantly over the past year and will continue to do so. The ethical responsibility lies not in whether we use AI, but how we use it: how our agency defines appropriate use, how we prevent misinformation, and how — or if — we disclose its role in our work.
Ethics Still Apply — Even When the Tool Is New
The PRSA Code of Ethics doesn’t mention artificial intelligence — but its principles are highly relevant to how we use it. AI doesn’t eliminate our ethical obligations; if anything, it heightens them.
Honesty and transparency are foundational. If AI is generating or shaping client-facing content, PR professionals must ensure that information is accurate, sourced appropriately, and not misleading. AI can fabricate details confidently, and passing those errors along — even unintentionally — undermines trust with media, clients, and the public.
Expertise is another key principle at stake. Using AI does not absolve us of responsibility for the final product. We are still accountable for the strategy, judgment, and accuracy behind every message. AI can assist with ideation and efficiency, but it should never replace professional review, context, or critical thinking.
Safeguarding confidences are especially critical in an AI-driven environment. Client data, proprietary strategies, embargoed information, and internal discussions should never be entered into public AI platforms without clear safeguards. Agencies should establish firm boundaries around what information can — and cannot — be used in AI tools.
Fairness and advocacy also deserve attention. AI systems reflect the data they are trained on, which means bias can easily find its way into messaging, audience targeting, or sentiment analysis. Ethical practice requires us to question outputs, consider whose voices may be missing, and ensure our communications remain inclusive and equitable.
Staying Ethical and Employed
For professionals worried about balancing ethics with job security, the answer is not to reject AI outright — it’s to lead the conversation around its responsible use.
Ask questions. Advocate for internal guidelines. Encourage your agency to document when AI is appropriate, how outputs are reviewed, and what disclosure looks like. Familiarize yourself with resources like PRSA’s AI guidance and prompting frameworks, so you can use these tools thoughtfully.
Ethical leadership doesn’t mean slowing innovation — it means steering it.
AI may be changing how we work, but it doesn’t change why we work: to build trust, tell the truth, and serve the public interest. As long as we keep those principles front and center, our profession — and our role in it — will remain relevant.
Thank you Crystal Borde for giving me the opportunity to serve as Ethics Chair this year, and I look forward to working with Patricia Hernandez in 2026.