How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Public Relations Profession: Expected Practices from a Sample of PR Practitioners in Bahrain

Abstract

Institutions all over the world vary in their adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the workplace, despite the obvious benefits. Use of AI-based practices differs from community to community according to many factors. This study aimed to explore how widely AI is used in the public relations (PR) sector in Bahrain, and to investigate how AI might transform the PR profession and affect PR professionals in the future. Based on in-depth individual interviews with a sample of PR practitioners in Bahrain, the study found that mechanical intelligence was the most commonly used type of AI in the PR field in Bahrain, followed by analytical intelligence and, to a lesser extent, intuitive intelligence. Empathetic intelligence was not used at all. Although Bahrain’s Digital Government Strategy 2022 emphasized the commitment to transforming its services through emerging technologies, and despite the actual application of AI in various fields as a core of the Bahrain 2030 vision, there is still a low percentage of AI adoption in PR practices in both governmental and private institutions in Bahrain. The study showed that rapidly evolving AI technology is transforming the speed and efficiency of PR practices. PR professionals need to be adept at using AI technologies to increase the effectiveness of their practices and functions.