Public relations has evolved into a discipline that serves two distinct audiences: human readers and the artificial intelligence systems that summarize content, according to a report released Wednesday by Help a Reporter Out (HARO). The report, titled “What is PR in 2026?”, draws on interviews with 39 PR practitioners and identifies 38 distinct practices organized across eight themes.
The central finding is that AI answer engines have become a primary surface for PR work. Practitioners now conduct prompt research, reverse-engineer AI answer summaries across different models, and optimize content for citations. This emerging practice, described as “machine relations,” sits alongside traditional media relations, with practitioners emphasizing that the human elements of PR remain the industry’s key differentiator.
One practitioner’s 16-month analysis of 166 media placements found that 84% landed in outlets with measurable AI visibility in large language models. Another agency’s client research indicated that 30-45% of AI prompt answers draw on editorial and earned media, highlighting the growing importance of securing coverage in outlets that influence AI systems.
The report also documents a fragmented press landscape. Op-eds, industry trade publications, independent Substacks, and source-request platforms have replaced the traditional goal of a single, splashy placement. Creators now function as media outlets, with PR teams researching influencers like journalists, commissioning editorial-style content, and brokering non-paid YouTube collaborations.
As AI-generated pitches flood journalists’ inboxes, practitioners are returning to phone calls, in-person events, and long-term journalist relationships. The human layer, the report argues, is the differentiator in an increasingly automated field.
“HARO has sat at the intersection of journalists and sources since 2008, so we hear how the job is changing from both sides,” said Brett Farmiloe, CEO of Featured, which owns and operates HARO, in the release. “The biggest shift in 2026 is that every placement now has two audiences: the readers who see the story, and the machines that cite it. The practitioners in this report are mastering both.”
The report opens with Devon Blaine, who has owned and operated The Blaine Group, a Beverly Hills-based communications agency, for 51 years. “PR has always been about delivering a timely and honest message in an interesting way,” said Blaine in the report. Her perspective underscores the enduring principles of the field even as technology reshapes its practice.
The full report, including all 38 practices, eight themes, and a practitioner FAQ on AI, GEO, and measurement, is available at https://blog.helpareporter.com/what-is-pr/.
