Shivaram Lakshminarayan on Ruder Finns efforts to create a PR firm that prioritizes AI

Public relations firms are rethinking how businesses develop trust, relevance, and long-term reputation as the communications landscape undergoes a dramatic transition propelled by AI, creator-led narrative, and changing audience behavior. PR now has a far wider function in this dynamic environment than just media relations; it now includes integrated storytelling, stakeholder involvement, influencer partnerships, and quantifiableArtificial intelligence is quickly changing the communications sector, evolving from a productivity tool to a strategic capability that is changing how agencies function, companies interact with consumers, and reputations are handled. Communications companies are reevaluating old agency methods in order to stay ahead of the curve as AI-generated search, intelligent content production, predictive analytics, and personalized storytelling become more commonplace. The emphasis is now on how well AI can be integrated into workflows while maintaining the human insight, creativity, and judgment that characterize great communications rather than whether or not to employ AI.Shivaram Lakshminarayan, Managing Director of Ruder Finn India, discusses with Adgully how the multinational communications company has been getting ready for this change by making early investments in AI infrastructure and personnel development.

He talks about Ruder Finn's path to becoming an AI-first agency, the necessity of responsible AI deployment, the growing significance of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), changing client expectations, and why agencies that develop organizational-wide AI fluency—rather than just technical capability—will be best positioned to lead the next era of communications.Ruder Finn has always prioritized digital technology and will continue to do so. We consider ourselves to be an AI-first organization today. Every technological revolution we've experienced—whether it be voice, mobile, or data analytics—has altered more than just how quickly tasks are completed. It completely altered the appearance of the work. This is the idea underlying Ruder Finn's worldwide AI incubator, rf.TechLab, the first of its kind in a communications firm. This is important for our Indian teams since we are not starting from scratch.