AI has been predicted to revolutionise corporate comms, but Tarun Nagrani believes the technology may still miss the intricacies of regional issues. This article is from Communicate magazine's print edition.

Public affairs professionals have always been strategic weather forecasters of sorts, anticipating the winds of stakeholder sentiment and adjusting their sails accordingly. But the question often asked is to what extent can artificial intelligence (AI) really take over this role, predicting and preparing for stakeholder behaviour in a world where public sentiment can shift overnight thanks to one viral tweet or video.

AI isn’t a fortune teller, though some service providers might market it that way. It can analyse patterns in social media posts, news articles and even stakeholder speeches to make educated guesses about future behaviour. AI tools, for instance, can scan millions of data points in a matter of minutes, pinpointing sentiment trends and identifying shifts in stakeholder opinions that may signal upcoming policy changes, public concerns or even PR crises.

However, there are nuances in public affairs that AI can easily miss. In large and diverse societies where sentiments can vary significantly from region to region, AI models trained on global datasets may miss the context behind certain issues. What trends might appear trivial on the surface could hold deep cultural significance – that’s something only human context can fully appreciate.

Take an AI that’s analysing stakeholder sentiment about environmental policies in a country. It might quickly spot an uptick in positive sentiment towards renewable energy. However, without local context, it could overlook the nuanced resistance in areas that depend on traditional energy for livelihoods. Sure, AI sees the numbers, but it may not grasp the emotions driving them. That’s where a public affairs team, ideally well-versed in local contexts, steps in to fine-tune AI’s insights.

Public affairs campaigns can leverage AI in various ways to predict trends, plan campaigns, and even anticipate risks. In public affairs, crises can escalate quickly. Whether it’s a policy announcement that backfires or a misunderstood campaign message, AI can help as an early warning system. Sentiment analysis tools can detect negative sentiment spikes almost instantaneously, giving public affairs teams a head start in crafting a response. There are several instances of brand facing backlash over an ad that inadvertently touched on sensitive cultural issues. AI-driven sentiment analysis tools can quickly flag the social media uproar.

The public affairs team can respond in real time, averting a potential public relations disaster. In cases like these, AI can’t defuse the situation, but it can provide real-time insights to inform rapid, measured responses. However, using AI alone can be risky. Cultural understanding and linguistic nuances make it easy for a machine to misread tone or context. What one region perceives as witty sarcasm; another might interpret as outright disrespect – a problem if the LLM model isn’t attuned to the subtleties of languages and dialects. In such cases, small language models (SLMs) may be more effective.

The real irony? AI, in its attempt to analyse stakeholder behaviour, has made stakeholders more aware and cautious about how their data is being used. This awareness is yet another factor public affairs teams must navigate. In the end, AI is not replacing public affairs professionals any time soon. The field still requires the keen instincts and emotional intelligence of people who understand cultural subtleties, read between the lines, and adapt to the unpredictable human element. But yes, it will reduce the number of people and time taken to do secondary research and analysis.

Think of it this way: AI is like a high-tech compass. It tells you the general direction and helps avoid obvious pitfalls. But only a seasoned public affairs professional knows when to double-back, take a scenic route, or stop and ask for directions. In highly diverse countries like India, where the cultural landscape is as varied as its linguistic dialects and where public opinion can change with each cricket match or blockbuster release, AI is a valuable assistant. It gives data-driven insights and early warnings, making public affairs strategies sharper and more responsive. But it’s the human touch – interpretation, empathy, adaptability – that makes these campaigns genuinely impactful.

So, can AI predict and prepare for future stakeholder behaviour in public affairs campaigns? Yes and no. AI can provide data-driven insights, reveal sentiment trends, and even anticipate crises. But to truly understand and influence stakeholders, we need that irreplaceable blend of technology and human intuition. 

Tarun Nagrani is director of corporate communications at Mastercard. This article was published in Communicate magazine's second quarter print edition.