I’m the sort of person who thrives on constant change, and, wow, did 2025 deliver! Generative AI is seriously changing the shape of work everywhere, and ripples in the economy are fueling the transformation.
We’ve seen this happen before, in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, as the internet commercialized and expanded rapidly. It’s too early to tell who’ll be the winners and losers, but one thing is certain – AI is here to stay. How we unleash it to achieve the right balance of productivity and quality is still an open question.
All year, I’ve been curious about how journalists, PR pros, and marketers are using AI. To find out, I went on the road and listened to what some of the brightest minds in the industry had to say about where we are today and what’s next.
New York City: PR on the AI Edge
For the latest thinking on the PR front, I turned to my fellow graduates of Syracuse University’s master of communications management program. Every couple of years, we meet at the Lubin House in NYC to track the latest trends. This summer, the speakers brought their AI game.
For me, it was most interesting to hear how PR leaders are looking for ways to use AI to improve quality more than efficiency. I heard from several speakers and attendees that while they’re using AI to assist in writing, research, and idea development, they’re most interested in its ability to uncover emerging trends faster. One compelling use case: Use AI to analyze both internal and external data and then use the results to develop the voice of the customer or employee.
Golden, Colorado: Journalism, Meet PR
Dana Coffield, editor and co-founder of The Colorado Sun; Lee Ann Colacioppo, executive editor of The Denver Post; Ryan Warner, senior host of Colorado Matters at Colorado Public Radio News; Kyle Clark, anchor of Denver’s 9NEWS; and moderator Donna Bryson, discuss the State of Media in Colorado.
At the NFPW conference in Golden, I found myself surrounded by journalists, editors, and communicators from across the country. In the age of AI and rapid change, the theme, The Next Frontier, couldn’t have been more fitting.
You might think a journalism conference would feel far from content marketing, but there’s clear overlap. Every session circled back to the same theme: trust and relationships.
As an institution, the media has lost significant trust. It hit a new low this year, with just 28% of Americans expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence, down from 40% five years ago. Journalists face strong headwinds in turning this around, especially as AI makes it easier to scale the volume of misinformation and disinformation.
The profession needs some PR of its own. Media leaders talked about how they and their teams are spending more time in their communities, listening to their readers, and being more transparent about what goes into reporting a story. By engaging more, they hope to build stronger community relationships and earn trust.
San Diego: GEO Shifts the Conversation
Content marketers have a vested interest in being seen. Or, rather, in their content being highly visible among search results.
That’s all changing with Gen AI, as many of the panels and keynotes confirmed during Content Marketing World.
In hallway conversations and panels, one acronym kept coming up: GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization. As more people rely on Gen AI for discovery, marketers are realizing that AI doesn’t just summarize, it selects.
The models are drawing answers from sources they consider credible: tier-one media, high-authority websites, and widely cited research. In other words, your PR strategy now directly influences your discoverability in AI-driven search.
The takeaway: In the age of GEO, credibility determines visibility.
That’s why we’re advising clients to double down on thought leadership, media validation, and trustworthy content that others reference.
San Diego: The Business Value of Thought Leadership
One thing AI can’t replicate — at least not yet — is our human ability to connect dots, sense nuance, and predict what’s next. Thought leadership is a uniquely human resource with a significant ROI attached.
Thought leadership drives an estimated $100 billion in U.S. spending and $265 billion globally, according to research by Cindy Anderson and Anthony Marshall, of the IBM Institute of Business Value.
That number stood out to me, but also, their observation that the C-suite highly values thought leadership created with:
- Rigorous analysis
- Primary research
- Credible subject-matter expertise
These are exactly the components we aim to incorporate into any thought-leadership strategy we develop. It’s the bar we hold ourselves to at Version A — and the standard we help our clients meet.
To get a deeper look at Anderson and Marshall’s incredibly interesting and valuable research, I recommend their book, The ROI of Thought Leadership: Calculating the Value that Sets Organizations Apart.
Some Winning Locations
A few shout outs for some professional and personal accomplishments. We had a winning year in a few amazing locations.
Jamestown, Virginia: Virginia Professional Communicators Communications Contest
First place for Best Corporate or For-Profit Blog
Anna O’Neill Alexander and Diane Thieke at the VPC Spring Conference in Jamestown
The winning piece (read it here), written by our talented Anna O’Neill Alexander, explored how GenAI has changed marketing strategy two years after ChatGPT’s debut.
Golden, Colorado: NFPW Communications Contest
First place for Best Corporate or For-Profit Blog
VPC is an affiliate of NFPW, so our entry advanced to the national round – and won first place again.
New York: PRSA Big Apple Awards
- Big Apple for Integrated Communications (B2B)
- Big Apple for Marketing Business-to-Business (campaign budgets <$200k)
- Honorable Mention for Media Relations (cross-platform)
- Honorable Mention for Reputation/Brand Management & Engagement
We also celebrated alongside our client, NCSolutions (now part of Circana), whose Sober Curious campaign was recognized by the PRSA-NY chapter in four categories.
This project began in 2022 with a simple survey question: How many Americans planned to give up alcohol for Dry January?
That first survey sparked a three-year campaign that’s helped define a national conversation. It’s proof that meaningful insights — backed by solid data and analysis— can position a brand as both storyteller and trusted advisor.
Manitou Springs, Colorado: The Manitou Incline
All year, I’ve been looking at GenAI as my virtual hill to climb – and the 2,768 steps of the Manitou Incline as my IRL hike.
Along with everyone else, I still have a long way to go with GenAI. It’s a twisty path with lots of surprises lurking around corners. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As for the Incline, I set a goal of reaching the second bailout at 1,300 steps. Instead, I made it to the third bailout at 1,800. I feel good about calling that a win! Props to those who make it all the way to the top. It’s a bear (crawl).
Reaching Beyond Words
This year, Version A began offering expanded services to help clients express their thought leadership across more formats, including graphic design and video storytelling.
We’re bringing more capabilities to our team before the year ends, so keep an eye on this space.
Curious about how we can help your thought leadership stand out in the age of AI? Let’s talk.
