75% of PR professionals say PR should lead AI visibility, but just 22% expect it to

Half of communications professionals rank AI assistants among the top three influences on brand reputation in 2027.

Our research shows that AI assistants are now expected to be the biggest influence on brand reputation in 2027, while earned media remains a key priority for PR teams.”

— Peter Harris

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, November 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Three-quarters (75%) of PR, communications and marketing professionals believe PR should be responsible for how brands appear in AI-generated answers. Yet just 22% expect PR and communications to actually own AI visibility in 2027.

The findings, published in Onclusive’s PR, Comms & Marketing 2027 Trends Outlook from Onclusive reveals a growing disconnect between who PR professionals believe should own brand visibility in AI-generated answers and who they expect to take responsibility for it.

This comes as AI assistants become an increasingly influential source of brand discovery and reputation. Half of respondents (50%) now place AI assistants among their top three sources shaping brand reputation in 2027, ahead of social platforms (45%) and search engines (32%).

However, only 17% say their organisation currently monitors AI visibility using a dedicated tool, highlighting a gap between the importance professionals place on AI visibility and the action being taken to measure it.

Peter Harris, CEO at Onclusive, said: “AI is changing the way people find information about brands, and that has significant implications for the communications industry. Our research shows that AI assistants are now expected to be the biggest influence on brand reputation in 2027, while earned media remains a key priority for PR teams. These two things are closely connected. The credibility built through strong journalism, authoritative content and trusted sources can help shape what AI platforms say about organisations. The challenge for PR teams is to understand that relationship, make it part of their communications planning and demonstrate the value it brings to reputation and visibility.”

The report also highlights growing concern about the reputational risks of AI adoption. More than one in five (22%) PR professionals identify AI-generated content going wrong as a potential trigger for a brand crisis, more than double the 9% recorded in last year's research. Among agency respondents, this rises to 27%, up from 9%. Meanwhile, one in ten respondents say their organisation has no formal AI policy, raising questions about whether governance is keeping pace with adoption.

AI is also becoming more embedded in communications and marketing workflows. Almost half (47%) of respondents expect to use AI primarily for data and insights analysis in 2027, followed by writing, editing and content creation (44%) and research and discovery (36%). In terms of adoption, half (50%) say AI is already embedded in several team workflows or more. However, 20% are still running pilots in selected workflows, while 28% report ad hoc individual use. This variation suggests organisations are at very different stages of integrating AI into their work.

The pressure on PR teams is also growing as they are expected to demonstrate the commercial value of their work. More than half (52%) of PR and communications respondents identify connecting PR to revenue and business growth as a key challenge, while 48% cite proving ROI beyond vanity metrics. As AI changes how brands are discovered and represented, demonstrating the impact of communications will require teams to look beyond traditional measures of media coverage.

The findings are part of Onclusive’s 2027 Trends Outlook, which explores the changing priorities, challenges and expectations of communications and marketing professionals worldwide.

ENDS

About Onclusive

Onclusive is the global benchmark for integrated media content, turning enriched data into
actionable insight across every channel - online, print, broadcast and social. Our scalable
solutions meet real-world needs: from direct integration of enriched data into your
ecosystem, self-service tools that track, measure, and manage media impact, to expert
analysis that guides sharper decisions. Powered by innovation and elevated by people, we
help you protect brand reputation, prove impact, and continually improve your value.
www.onclusive.com .

About Onclusive’s PR, Comms & Marketing 2027 Trends Report

Onclusive surveyed 255 PR, communications and marketing professionals between 29 September and 20 October 2026. The online survey was distributed across 13 markets: the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. The survey was conducted in English, French, Spanish and Italian. Respondents included in-house professionals, agency practitioners, consultants and freelancers across a range of seniority levels.

The research builds on Onclusive’s inaugural 2026 Outlook report, allowing for comparisons in selected areas to understand how industry priorities and expectations have evolved.

ONCLUSIVE
Hard Numbers
onclusive@hardnumbers.co.uk
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