Campus Comms Unplugged – Communications and AI

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Campus Comms Unplugged

Our podcast, Campus Comms Unplugged, hosted by Toby Roe, explores the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of marketing and communications in business education. We aim to overcome barriers faced by marketing communications professionals within business schools and help them make a bigger impact with their campaigns.

Each month, we feature insights from leaders in the field. We cover topics such as strategy, messaging, artificial intelligence (AI), international student trends, and more.

Episode 3

In our third episode, host Toby Roe sat down with Ben Verinder, expert on artificial intelligence (AI) and communications and author of the forthcoming book: “AI for Public Relations” (Kogan Page, May 2026)

In this conversation, Ben and Toby discussed communications and AI and explored its implications for public relations, higher education, and organisational reputation.

They covered why business school communications professionals need to understand the broader impacts of AI beyond tool deployment. They explored ethical considerations for communicators, the likely impact on job roles and the training gap amongst communications professionals when it comes to using AI.

Key takeaways

• Broader impact. Communications teams must understand the broader effects of artificial intelligence (AI) beyond just tool deployment. Intentional approaches to AI adoption are crucial for effective implementation. For example. communications teams should consider auditing their current AI use to ensure alignment with institutional mission and ethical standards.
• Knowledge gaps. There is a training and policy gap in AI adoption among communications professionals. In this instance, communications teams need to look at developing structured AI upskilling programmes. They should also adopt clear internal usage policies to build team confidence and capability.
• Ethical considerations. These are paramount in AI deployment, especially in communications. Communications professionals should engage in conversations about AI policy within their organisations. There needs to be cross-departmental discussions on responsible AI use, ensuring transparency in both content creation and data handling.
• Brand. AI can enhance brand differentiation through hyper-personalisation and intentionality. Measuring ROI in an AI-enabled world requires human intervention and strategic thinking. Using AI-driven insights can refine brand storytelling while preserving authentic human judgment at the strategic level.
• Changing job roles. Job roles in communications are likely to evolve due to the advent of AI, with potential reductions in entry-level positions. Communications teams need to be ready to reimagine team structures to prioritise the strategic, creative, and relationship-building skills that AI cannot replicate.

“Artificial intelligence has such considerable ramifications for the way organisations operate and interact with their stakeholders. It represents huge consequences for reputation and relationships. The myth is that AI is mainly about communications teams choosing tools. In fact, the real story is how everyone else in the organisation is using it. Across higher education, you can already see the impact in the ‘slop’ of poor‑quality content being pushed out from the leadership level down. It is reshaping how institutions are seen long before most comms teams have really caught up.” – Ben Verinder

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