On January 28, PR leaders gathered for Bulldog Reporter’s and Agility PR Solution’s annual PR Trends of the New Year panel to discuss what’s shaping the industry in the year ahead. Featuring Nicole Rodrigues, CEO & Founder of NRPR Group, Pragya Dubey, VP of Global Services at Agility PR Solutions, and Becky Carroll, Founder & CEO of C-Strategies, the conversation explored how PR teams are adapting to rapid change across AI, media relations, and trust.
As Pragya Dubey of Agility PR Solutions put it during the discussion, “you don’t visibly absorb change, you experience change.”
That perspective shaped the panel’s conversation and the key takeaways that emerged.
Watch the full on-demand webinar here.
AI Has Moved from Experimentation to Expectation
The panel agreed that AI experimentation is over. PR teams are now confidently integrating AI into daily workflows and being more transparent with clients about where and how it’s used.
Rather than replacing creativity, AI is freeing teams from administrative work, accelerating research, and enabling more strategic thinking. Still, PR remains a relationship-driven business where human judgment, authenticity, and trust matter most.
Media Intelligence Is Now Accessible, and Essential
AI has democratized media intelligence, making advanced insights available to organizations of all sizes. What was once a resource-intensive function is now a continuous input that supports decision-making throughout a campaign.
As Pragya Dubey explained, “AI has transformed intelligence from a specialist function into an accessible, actionable capability that anybody can have.”
With stakeholders spending less than ten minutes reviewing briefings, insights must be concise, relevant, and tailored. AI-powered reporting is helping teams meet these expectations without increasing manual effort.
Earned Media Matters More Than Ever
As audiences increasingly turn to AI answer engines first, earned media has become even more critical. AI prioritizes credible third-party sources, placing PR at the center of brand visibility and trust. Owned content also plays a key role when optimized to support AI discovery.
Data-Driven Strategy and Readiness Are Non-Negotiable
In today’s information-heavy environment, operating without data is no longer viable. Media intelligence insights can guide early-stage campaign planning, performance optimization, and crisis preparedness.
AI is also enabling small and mid-sized organizations to deliver more insightful monthly and quarterly reports, leveling the reporting playing field. As Nicole Rodrigues noted, “what people are looking for is depth.”
Influencers and Crisis Planning Require Intentionality
Influencer marketing remains effective when approached thoughtfully and transparently, particularly when brands look beyond mainstream creators to niche and professional voices.
For crisis management, preparation is critical. As Becky Carroll noted, “the best way to address a crisis is to identify what they can be and be ready for them.” Anticipating risks, developing holding statements, defining approval processes, and responding quickly can prevent others from filling the information gap.
As PR continues to evolve, the message from the panel was clear: teams that combine AI-powered intelligence with strong relationships, credible earned media, and data-driven decision-making will be best positioned to succeed in the year ahead. As Nicole Rodrigues put it, “that human touch now is going so much further.”
To learn more about how Agility’s all-in-one, AI-powered PR platform helps teams put these trends into action, book a demo with our team.
