Axios Event: Audience shifts and AI are upending the status quo for comms, leaders say

SAN FRANCISCO – Artificial intelligence and audience engagement are strategically key as shifts in technology, politics and media create new challenges for the field, top corporate communication leaders said at an Axios Communicators roundtable discussion on May 20.

• Axios' Eleanor Hawkins and Sam Sabin moderated the discussion, which was sponsored by We. Communications.

Why it matters: Communicators are carefully navigating a world in which words carry a lot of weight – both in today's complex political and economic environment and at an increasingly difficult time to reach audiences that are diverting from traditional media channels.

The big picture: Meeting audiences where they are is crucial to gain their trust and attention in a fragmented "new media" landscape, attendees said.

What they're saying: "Audience is what we all care about, and how we need to reach that audience, influence their decisions, and also build trust and relationships really is different. They're all really different people," said Amy Sezak, SVP of corporate communications at Yelp.

• "The biggest challenge is now figuring out how do we measure the impact of those strategies, those different channels, because we're used to measuring impact of traditional media."

The bottom line: Attendees agreed that understanding the segments that make up the full audience is crucial.

• There isn't a formula for audience engagement when people are getting their information from such a wide array of places, said Khobi Brooklyn, Hims & Hers chief corporate affairs officer.
• "Nobody cares, and so we have to throw that out the window. It's more what's out there, and let's make sure that what we're putting out there is resonating."

What we're watching: There was a consensus that embracing AI is imperative to avoid falling behind in a workforce headed for an AI future.

• "We're just doubling down on AI on all efforts, really from an HR people standpoint," said Nextdoor chief communications officer Kelsey Grady.

• "You're now contending with a new workforce that the new competitive edge is going to be who knows how to manage teams of agents and who doesn't," said Cheryl Sanclemente, chief communications officer at Lattice. She dubbed AI "probably the biggest communications challenge of our era."

Yes, but: AI use at work can feel taboo, and many workers still fear it.

• Educating employees about AI could help combat that. Grady asks her employees in meetings to share ways they are using AI to do their jobs smarter and faster.

Case in point: Nextdoor just launched a "reverse mentorship program" that pairs interns with older employees to teach them how to use AI.

• "We've been doing a lot of work around how to integrate AI into our culture, and to really do it in a way that feels empowering and inviting versus scary," Brooklyn said.