SVP – Group Communications & Brand, Aditya Birla Group
AI and the Trust Deficit: Re-coding Public Relations
The fundamental role of communication is to inspire trust among stakeholders. That hasn’t changed in centuries—and won’t in the future either. In their seminal book The Trusted Advisor, David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford proposed a formula for trust:
Trustworthiness = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-orientation.
Look closer, and you’ll find communication at the heart of each of these elements—even though it isn’t explicitly named.
Take credibility: no matter how competent an organisation may be, it cannot build credibility without clear, consistent, and honest communication. Credibility is earned over time—and always in dialogue with the world. Reliability, too, depends on the alignment between what an organisation promises and what it delivers. But those promises must first be communicated—clearly, repeatedly, and to the right audiences. And intimacy, the emotional connection a stakeholder feels with a brand, depends deeply on how that brand speaks, listens, and responds. Communication is what makes brands feel human—and memorable.
But it’s the denominator—self-orientation—that quietly shapes the rest. It speaks to authenticity. It asks: How self-aware is an organisation? Does it know the difference between how it wants to be seen and how it actually is seen?
This need for authenticity has only intensified. Artificial intelligence may have transformed the speed and scale of communication, but it has also surfaced deeper concerns—about misinformation, manipulated content, and the erosion of public trust. A recent study by the Indian School of Business and CyberPeace found that 94% of fake news in India was tied to politics, religion, and general issues.
Meanwhile, social media—once hailed as a platform for truth-telling and transparency—has become a breeding ground for misinformation. Dark channels, bots, and content manipulation have made it harder than ever for organisations (and even governments) to cut through with credible information.
In this climate, there’s a growing realisation in the PR world: the old playbook doesn’t work anymore. Spin, exaggeration, and surface-level cause alignment can’t keep up with an audience that’s more alert, more sceptical, and far more informed than ever before.
The nature of crisis has changed too. It’s no longer just about managing a disgruntled tweet or a public gaffe. Today, the risk includes fake documents circulating online, misleading data visualisations, or deepfake videos of company leaders saying things they never said. The speed at which misinformation travels has completely outpaced traditional crisis response models.
And yet, there’s hope. The next generation of stakeholders—digital natives who’ve grown up navigating clickbait and misinformation—have developed strong filters. They fact-check by instinct. They value transparency. And they’re quick to spot inauthenticity.
This is both a challenge and an opportunity. It pushes communication teams to move beyond message control and lean into something more difficult—but also more lasting: truthful, inclusive, and responsive communication. Organisations today are beginning to act on this. Many are building digital safety nets—strengthening factsheets, investing in online reputation management, and creating faster, two-way communication systems.
Official social handles and owned media platforms are no longer nice to have—they’re critical for credibility and crisis preparedness. Because in a world where algorithms amplify emotion, and perception often outruns proof, the role of communication professionals isn’t just to tell stories. It’s to anchor them in truth.
The present of PR is no longer about persuasion—it’s about stewardship. As technology continues to blur the lines between real and fake, human and machine, the role of communication is becoming clearer: be honest, be consistent, and don’t wait for a crisis to speak up.
The next frontier of public relations won’t be won with louder megaphones. It will depend on quieter, more intentional communication—grounded in facts, empathy, and a willingness to listen. And those who master the art of transparent, empathetic communication won’t just survive the storm—they’ll shape the climate around them.
Because no matter how complex or intelligent algorithms become, it is humans—guided by values, empathy, and context—who will remain at the heart of meaningful communication.