New report: communicators are at the AI table — but not yet leading it

Are communication professionals stepping up on responsible AI? New global report has the answers

A major new report from the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (Global Alliance) paints an encouraging — but sobering — picture of where our profession stands on artificial intelligence.

Reimagining Tomorrow 2026: From Adoption to Accountability, launched in Prague in May, draws on survey responses from 536 communication professionals across six global regions. For APAC communicators, the findings are particularly relevant — and the call to action is clear.

The good news: progress is real

For the first time, the report compares two consecutive years of data, giving us a genuine baseline for tracking change. The trends are positive:

• AI use is now permitted in 95.9% of organisations, up from 91% in 2025

• The proportion of organisations with a responsible AI framework has grown from 39.4% to 47%

• Ethical confidence surged by 12.6 percentage points — from 26.2% to 38.8% of professionals feeling very confident evaluating AI's ethical implications

• Communication teams are increasingly involved in responsible AI guidelines (57.3%, up from 41.4%)

Asia-Pacific organisations recorded the highest average AI support rating globally at 3.43 out of 5, and the region showed strong engagement with AI literacy and ethics training.

But the gaps are significant

Despite the momentum, the report identifies critical shortfalls that should concern every communication professional in the region:

• More than half of organisations still have no responsible AI framework

• One in four organisations uses AI without disclosing this to anyone — internally or externally

• Only 8.6% of communication teams are leading on AI governance (most are merely involved)

• AI agents are already operating in one in three organisations, yet PR teams have minimal oversight roles

What this means for APAC communicators

The report argues that communication professionals are uniquely positioned to lead on responsible AI — not because we own technology decisions, but because we own transparency, stakeholder trust, and reputation. These are the foundations of good AI governance.

Yet the data shows a persistent gap between involvement and leadership. In the APAC region specifically, high investment in training and tools has not yet translated into formal governance frameworks or decisive influence at the table.

The report's key call to action: move from participation to accountability. That means building AI disclosure practices, claiming a leadership role in governance structures, and treating responsible AI as a reputation management discipline — not just a compliance exercise.

Download the report

Reimagining Tomorrow 2026 is available free from the Global Alliance website at globalalliancepr.org. It's essential reading for any communication professional navigating AI in 2026.