Artificial intelligence has reshaped how influence is built. For decades, reputation was mediated by journalists, editors, and traditional media outlets. Today, the gatekeepers are just as likely to be algorithms, recommendation engines, and AI-powered summaries. Communications strategies designed for yesterday’s media landscape are no longer enough to secure visibility or trust.
At PR Asia Singapore 2025, our Founder and Group CEO, Lars Voedisch, explored what it takes to rebuild influence in an AI-first world. His session, Rebuilding Influence in the Age of AI – From Fragmented Trust to Strategic Authority in Southeast Asia, examined how brands can adapt to thrive when credibility must resonate with both people and machines.
Why PR Needs to Rethink Influence in 2025 and Beyond
Key Trends Reshaping PR Strategy
Muck Rack’s 2025 State of PR Report highlighted three trends every communicator should pay attention to. AI and automation are now the top growth priority for PR professionals, ahead of traditional focus areas like media relations and strategic planning. LinkedIn has become the most valuable platform for PR, far surpassing Instagram and Twitter. And the industry is shifting from being purely relationship-driven to being tech-enabled, with data, analytics, and professional networks driving the next wave of growth.
The Shift from Traditional Media to Algorithm-Driven Visibility
The implication is clear: past coverage is not enough. AI rewards freshness and relevance. Without a steady stream of earned media and authoritative signals, your brand risks fading from AI-generated visibility. Influence today is contextual, shaped as much by niche sources as by global heavyweights.
As Lars put it, “Once, editors determined what audiences saw. Now, algorithms make these decisions instantly, millions of times per day.
This isn’t just a channel shift. It’s a fundamental rewiring of how reputation and influence work.”
To succeed in this environment, communications leaders must embrace Adaptive Communications — strategies that build authority recognizable by both human audiences and intelligent systems.
From SEO to GEO: Visibility in an AI World
Search Engine Optimization once ensured your brand could be found. Today, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) determines whether your brand is chosen.
Understanding Generative Engine Optimization
When people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s Search Generative Experience for answers, the output is not a list of links but an AI-generated summary. If your brand is not cited in that summary, you are invisible.
SEO focuses on keywords and backlinks. GEO rewards contextual authority, structured data, and cited expertise. In practice, this means PR professionals must ensure content, media coverage, and thought leadership align with the credibility signals AI looks for.
The distinction is simple but critical: SEO gets you found. GEO gets you quoted.
Building Credible Authority with the E-E-A-T Framework
One of the most effective ways to align with both human expectations and AI-driven filters is through the E-E-A-T framework:
Expertise is demonstrated by subject-matter authority in media coverage, thought leadership, and commentary.
Experience comes through first-hand insights, case studies, and stories that prove real-world impact.
Authoritativeness is reinforced by consistency across platforms and credible third-party mentions.
Trustworthiness is built through transparency, ethics, and authenticity that stakeholders can believe in.
These signals are not optional. They are the foundation for influence in an environment where both algorithms and audiences decide who to trust.
Real-World AI-Era PR Campaign Examples
To see how adaptive communications and E-E-A-T come together, it helps to look at recent campaigns.
Pop Culture Franchise: Bridging Generational Trust
A launch for a pop culture franchise tapped into nostalgia to bridge generations of fans. By blending authentic storytelling with playful engagement, it built trust and showed how experience can create connections that go beyond momentary attention.
Technology Company: Making Complex AI Solutions Relatable
A technology company made a complex AI-driven solution relatable by tying it to everyday “precision moments.” This approach showcased expertise, reinforced authoritativeness, and moved the brand beyond thumb-stopping content into long-term credibility.
Public Sector: Transparency for Gen Z Engagement
Finally, a public-sector initiative reframed transparency by inviting Gen Z audiences into an unfamiliar process through a point-of-view experience. What had once felt formal and closed-off became accessible and authentic. The result was not only strong engagement but also strengthened trust and authority.
The lesson across these examples is clear. Thumb-stopping moments matter, but the real opportunity lies in creating signals of expertise, authority, and trust that both human audiences and AI-driven systems recognize.
Implementing Adaptive Communications Strategy
Influence in the age of AI cannot be static. It requires constant recalibration, where PR teams act as architects of adaptation. True influence is built when PR, digital strategy, SEO, and AI-driven insights converge into one unified approach.
Continuous Calibration for Algorithm Changes
The future of PR goes beyond storytelling. It is about building structured reputations designed for discovery, credibility, and influence across both human and machine channels.
As Lars summed up: “If AI does not quote you, you do not exist in the conversation.”
Moving From Noise to Authority
The AI era does not mark the end of PR. It marks a new chapter where communications is about shaping machine perception as much as human engagement. Brands that understand this shift will move from fragmented trust to strategic authority.
At PRecious Communications, we believe this is the opportunity of our time. By investing in adaptive communications, aligning with E-E-A-T, and embracing cultural intelligence, brands can cut through the noise, build trust, and lead with credibility.
Adaptive Communications is not just a strategy. It is a commitment to building influence in an environment where both people and intelligent systems decide what gets heard. The future belongs to brands that deliberately architect authority for today’s media and tomorrow’s algorithms.
Are you ready to transform how your brand builds influence in the age of AI? Let’s connect.
Contact us to learn how we can help your startup shine.
FAQ: Rebuilding Influence in the Age of AI
1. What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
GEO is the practice of structuring your communications so that AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s SGE cite your brand as a credible source. Unlike SEO, which focuses on rankings, GEO ensures your expertise is included in AI-generated answers.
2. Why is E-E-A-T important in PR?
E-E-A-T — Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — are the signals that both humans and algorithms use to determine credibility. Brands that consistently demonstrate these traits are more likely to be trusted, cited, and chosen.
3. How is AI changing the role of PR professionals?
PR is shifting from being relationship-driven to tech-enabled. AI and algorithms are now deciding what gets visibility. Communicators must adapt by combining human storytelling with structured signals that resonate with machines.
4. Does traditional media still matter?
Yes, but its role has changed. Top-tier outlets like Reuters or the FT remain influential, but AI often favors context-specific sources such as niche publications or owned media. Credibility is increasingly contextual.
5. What is Adaptive Communications?
Adaptive Communications is a strategic approach that ensures your messaging remains credible, discoverable, and trustworthy across both human and machine-driven environments. It is about continuous calibration to stay relevant as algorithms evolve.
6. How can brands start building influence in the AI age?
Begin by auditing your existing visibility signals. Are your experts being cited? Is your thought leadership accessible to AI? Then, create content that demonstrates E-E-A-T, invest in earned media, and build systems that make your brand machine-readable as well as human-relevant.
