Let’s be honest, as communications and marketing professionals, we’ve all spent time worrying about being replaced with robots. Asking ourselves, “Will AI take my job?”, “Will my carefully crafted brand voice be reduced to a few hollow algorithmically-generated sentences?”, or the classic panic: when the AI does exactly what you asked, but nothing like what you meant (go girl, give us nothing).

But maybe we’re asking ourselves the wrong questions. Perhaps the real questions should be: “How do we work alongside AI?” “How do we encourage our teams to embrace it responsibly?” And, most importantly, “How do we keep our sanity when AI insists on taking the scenic route to the obvious answer?”

What keeps us nervous about AI?

AI is everywhere, and it’s here to stay. At CopyCon in Manchester, UK this October, one of my key takeaways was that the future of communications isn’t about humans versus machines, but how humans can work with machines. One speaker put it perfectly: “We crave human connection. AI is hollowing things out when it’s used without thought, and human-first language is the key to solving this.” Essentially, the bottom line is that the key differentiator won’t be speed or efficiency; it’s always going to be empathy, storytelling, and emotional resonance. That’s what our audiences really care about.

So, why the hesitation? Despite the buzz, many marketing and comms teams are still dipping their toes in the AI pool with hesitancy and, for some, resistance. From my own conversations and experiences, there are a few recurring themes here.

First, there’s the worry about job security and the belief that AI could eventually replace us. Secondly, there’s authenticity. Communicators pride themselves on understanding tone, nuance, and context; things AI can struggle with in the absence of all the necessary information.

Finally, there’s brand voice. After months (or even years) developing a brand identity, the thought of handing over the keys to a machine feels, frankly, a little like letting your cat have a go at cooking your prized Sunday roast dinner recipe and hoping for the best.

But here’s the thing: most of the fear comes from misunderstanding what AI actually does well. And also, what it doesn’t.

As PR pro Stephen Waddington recently noted in his newsletter, AI excels at reductive tasks like summarising, categorising, and recognising patterns. But it struggles with nuance, creativity, and cultural context. He calls this the “jagged edge” of AI: the boundary between what it can and can’t do. You only discover it by doing the work. And by “doing the work,” I take that to mean experimenting, failing, and then laughing at the ridiculous things AI sometimes generates.

Stop panicking and start experimenting

In practice, AI is most effective when treated as an assistant, not a competitor. Personally, I use AI to brainstorm content ideas, keep on top of trending news stories, spend less time on PR admin tasks, and refine language where needed. It’s not perfect, but it frees up mental bandwidth for the stuff that really matters to me and my role: strategy, creativity, and meaningful decision making.

The key skill? Prompting. The better your input, the better the output. Think of it like giving directions to a taxi driver in Manchester: you can shout vaguely about “Old Trafford” and end up circling the stadium wondering why the taxi isn’t moving (kind of like watching United play some days), or you could say, “Drop me at the Stretford End and steer clear of the match-day gridlock.” AI works the same way: precision in, quality out.

AI isn’t a shortcut – it’s a shift in how we work

Of course, embracing AI isn’t just about throwing new tools at people (ain’t nobody got time for that!) As Waddington points out, “There’s no AI strategy without a people strategy.”

Governance, ethical frameworks, training, and evaluation are vital. If you implement AI without thinking about the human side, you’re going to produce a whole lot of AI slop, which HBR points out is destroying both productivity and trust.

The emergence of tools like “Olivia Brown,” which has reportedly flooded UK newsrooms with fabricated content and fake quotes, shows how quickly that slop can erode credibility. Dan Slee argues that while national AI rules are taking shape, most organisations still lack guidance. With half of comms professionals using AI under the radar, leaders need to step up on policy, and fast, to keep things transparent, fair, and human.

Resistance often isn’t about fear; it’s about relevance and trust. Teams are more likely to embrace AI when they see concrete benefits in their day-to-day work. That’s why case studies, lived experiences, and practical examples are far more effective than hypotheticals. People need to see how AI actually improves workflows, saves time, and enhances creativity without undermining their expertise.

So, how do we overcome AI hesitancy in marketing and communications? Based on what I’ve learned from teams successfully integrating AI, here are five practical steps:

#1 Start small. Focus on areas of your business where AI delivers clear benefits, such as admin, research, and summarising, and then expand as confidence with tools grows.

#2 Treat AI as an assistant. Use it to enhance workflows and creativity, not replace human judgement and brain power.

#3 Invest in people first. Train your teams on AI tools, ethical considerations, and effective prompting.

#4 Be pragmatic and transparent. Acknowledge limitations of AI tools and always maintain human oversight.

#5 Share success stories. Lessons learned from your own work can help others see the value in practical terms, thereby reducing resistance.

The future of AI in comms is human-shaped

Ultimately, communicators are uniquely placed to lead the responsible adoption of AI. We understand storytelling, tone, and emotional nuance. We can set the standards for ethical use and ensure AI supports, rather than replaces,

 our craft. Instead of fearing being replaced by machines, let’s ask ourselves: “How can AI help us be more creative, cut down the busywork, and really connect with our audiences?”