“There are 100,000 business leaders watching this who will leave thinking AI-generated PR work is good enough.”
That’s what went through my head during a live AI summit I watched last week. I could see the viewer count and the buzz in the chat.
The first speaker promised you could clone yourself and offload enormous amounts of work – “like content creation” – to AI, and most attendees seemed all in.
Not me – I bailed.
Of course, that crowd represents only one type of philosophy a boss can have toward AI. Here are four types and tips for working with each:
The Automate-It Boss (pro AI, low bar for quality)
You’ll hear: “Why can’t AI do this?”
Description: The one described above – this boss attends AI summits, follows AI gurus on LinkedIn, and is all-in on cutting headcount and vendors. Their default is “let AI do it” and they’ll lower their standard of “good enough” for the bot. They only bring humans in after a mess.
Prescription for PR people who work for them: Don’t resist out loud; you’ll be dismissed as a Luddite. Make a legit effort to experiment with AI and welcome wins. But when it inevitably doesn’t, show the boss the AI output and your “catch” that saved the project. If the bar keeps dropping and your case doesn’t land, set a timeline to move on.
The Heads-Down Boss (neutral on AI, default bar for quality)
You’ll hear: “Great idea! Let’s look at that next quarter.”
Description: This boss has their head down, just trying to make the numbers for this quarter. They don’t care about AI trends, nor do they care if you experiment with it. When you tell them about an advance you made with AI, they’re genuinely excited . . . but then get distracted by the next fire. I’d guess around 75% of bosses fit here right now.
Prescription: If you’re not into AI, that’s fine with them, so you can maintain your current posture. If you are, you’re their unspoken AI security blanket. They can focus on the now, knowing you’re tracking the advancements that could move the team forward.
The Lock-It-Down Boss (anti-AI, high bar)
You’ll hear: “No uploads, no exceptions.”
Description: The opposite of the Automate-It Boss – waiting for the AI bubble to burst. They’re so concerned about security, IP, plagiarism, endorsing “laziness,” and other risks that they actively resist AI adoption. I’m seeing fewer of these outside highly regulated orgs.
Prescription: Great if you share those concerns! If not, honor formal policies but build your skills (and help the org) by practicing on non-sensitive material. If you redact identifiers and use AI only for the “prep & polish” phases of your work, you’ll eliminate most risk and comply with most policies I’ve seen. If “never” looks permanent, accept it or plan your next move if AI growth is core to your career.
The Improve-It Boss (pro AI, high bar)
You’ll hear: “Show me the impact.”
Description: This boss looks for the best ways to hit their numbers AND innovate. They use AI, share wins and fails, and invite you to do the same. Meanwhile, they haven’t lowered standards of quality and reliability, so blaming AI doesn’t fly.
Prescription: Experiment with AI weekly and share what you learn. Find parts of your job you can automate without losing quality, then volunteer for projects that excite you and move the organization forward. IMO, this is the best type of boss to work for right now. If you believe AI is the future, try to find one.
Which type is your boss? Let me know how they feel about AI in PR.
This article was originally published on November 13, 2025
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