If you think that artificial intelligence is designed to find the truth about a topic, think again. AI does not “discover” truth, but it does provide summaries of information taken from the sources it trusts most. And how can you ensure that the information AI finds about you and your company is part of those trustworthy sources?
Public relations.
Good PR is not a brand accessory—it’s a necessity in an AI-search world. In this world, PR is a discovery and authority engine that seeds the web with credible and structured information that’s validated by third-party sources. From AI Overviews (Google) to Copilot/Bing to Perplexity to in-product assistants, artificial intelligence systems will cite the facts it finds. This means a good PR program is necessary to ensure it tells your story the way it deserves to be told.
We interviewed Cara Milan (Harbor) to get insights on why PR is essential to AI Search. Cara Milan (Harbor) is the CEO and Founder of AMP Marketing and Public Relations, a silicon valley communications consultancy behind some of the biggest names in tech. With over 25 years of experience and a master’s degree in communication, Cara has led PR and executive communications for Roblox, Adobe, HP Enterprise, MuleSoft, Cisco, Jaguar Land Rover, LinkedIn, and dozens of early- and growth-stage startups across AI, Cybersecurity, FinTech, SaaS, HealthTech, and more.
Here’s what she said:
AI Answer Engines Run on Signals and PR Supplies Them
Just as you can’t leave your reputation to chance, you can’t leave the way AI portrays you to algorithmic happenstance. You have to be proactive—and that means having a strong public relations strategy. The following are some ways PR can influence how AI portrays you.
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1. You feed the answer box
AI systems create its summaries based on the information found in high-authority sources. Strategic PR earns those sources, such as Tier 1 and trade coverage, reputable blogs, analysts, and academic/NGO references. As a result, it gives you the opportunity to feed the answer box with AI summaries based on your data and point of view. Rather than having the story you want to tell relegated to the second page of search results, it’s presented front and center before anything else—giving you control of the narrative.
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2. Entity authority beats keyword trickery
Keywords alone used to help organizations get attention on the web. Modern search, however, is entity-centric. To increase your chances of being named, linked, or quoted in AI answers, you must strengthen your knowledge graph footprint. Consistent public relations across authoritative outlets can help add points on this graph about your company, products, leadership, and mission.
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3. E-E-A-T is your new ranking logic
As keywords are increasingly being de-emphasized, E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) has become the new ranking logic. To take advantage of this, AI models must view you as a trusted source. Public relations manufactures this trust signal at scale by providing you with bylines, expert bios, third-party quotes, peer-reviewed data, awards, and credible references.
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4. Zero-click is the default
AI summaries have become the new clicks. When people can quickly find the information they’re looking for, there’s no need to dig deeper into search results. If your brand isn’t prominently featured in the AI summary, you’ve lost the attention game before you’ve even suited up for the field. Effective PR helps you play the game—and win—because your brand can be named and linked where it now matters most.
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5. RAG needs your canon
Public relations can save your brand reputation by mitigating the effects of AI hallucinations—when models make up information from whole cloth. By leveraging clean, current and structured newsroom, fact sheets, and FAQs, you can ensure that Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), which powers internal and external assistants, has access to the information it needs to paint an accurate picture of you.
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6. Crises get compressed
When negative things happen, a strong PR-led response—with clear timelines, verifiable data, and credible third-party statements—helps shape how summaries frame the issue long after the incident has occurred. This is imperative because AI will condense compliments and controversies alike, so you want to make sure your perspective is highlighted in the negative items.
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7. Global amplification (for better or worse)
AI engines not only summarize your information for English speakers; they can translate at machine speed. With this in mind, high-quality PR assets—clean data, visuals, and quotes—will help your story travel farther and more accurately across languages and markets.
What AI Changes for Founders and Executives
AI has significantly changed how organizations build and maintain their reputations.
PR and AI Search Go Hand in Hand
AI search rewards credibility, clarity, and consistency, which are all effects of disciplined PR. Treat PR as the scaffolding AI stands on by seeding authoritative sources, structuring your facts, publishing verifiable proof, and responding quickly when it counts. If you do that, AI will reward you by summarizing your story—not someone else’s.
