Copyright challenges and intellectual property issues are consistently recognized as a serious, top-tier concern when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI). It may not be the top concern — that's usually related to fake news and the trustworthiness of content, followed by privacy concerns — but many creators are upset and worried about the integrity of their work when it's used as fodder for new training models. The courts will inevitably weigh in — in fact, one already has, with a federal court ruling in Anthropic's favor, asserting that its use of authors' books without compensation constitutes fair use due to the transformative nature of what Claude, Anthropic's LLM, does with them.

More lawsuits and more rulings are indeed coming, and legislation and regulation are also likely. However, Creative Commons has always preferred a voluntary compliance approach, grounded in a logical framework. In 2004, Creative Commons (under the guidance of Lawrence Lessig, a prominent American academic, attorney, and political activist known for his work on intellectual property law, campaign finance reform, and the social and legal implications of technology) developed such a framework that allowed people publishing on the web to designage how others could use their content. (This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons attribution/share-alike license.)

Now, Creative Commons is proposing a similar approach to AI, with a framework that would empower creators to signal their preferences for how their content is used and reused. The nascent framework is currently open for public comment. In this brief, midweek episode, Neville and Shel examine the proposal and the role communicators can play in shaping its final form.

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A growing body of research suggests employees are more disconnected than ever. What are internal communication teams getting wrong? Also in this long-form monthly episode for June 2025:

• Buzzstream interviewed over 150 digital PR pros to assess the state of digital PR. It looks a lot like it did five years ago.
• Social media has overtaken television as Americans' primary source of news.
• Chief Communication Officers are in a precarious position, expected to anticipate and address political and societal upheaval, often sharing information executives don't want to hear.
• Pope Leo XIV has called for an ethical AI framework in a message to tech execs gathering at the Vatican.

In his Tech Report, Dan York looks at Mastodon's updated terms prohibiting AI model training, announcements from TwitchCon, and the impact of Texas's mandatory age verification law on Internet privacy and security.
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The post FIR #469: Is Internal Communication Failing? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

While a company's reputation doesn't appear as a line item on a profit and loss statement or a balance sheet, it is nevertheless a critical intangible asset that significantly influences financial performance and long-term success. A strong positive reputation fosters trust among consumers and B2B customers, leading to increased customer loyalty, premium pricing power, and greater resilience in times of crisis. It also makes the company more attractive to top talent, reducing recruitment costs and improving employee retention. A favorable reputation can also enhance relationships with investors and partners, providing better access to capital and more advantageous business opportunities.

The public relations profession is in the reputation business. Yet there are new threats to reputations that aren't yet on most practitioners' radars -- and if they are, they haven't found their way into plans and strategies. For example, companies that succumbed to political pressure to back away from their DEI commitments have suffered reputational damage, while those that stood by them have seen their reputation scores increase. That may have something to do with general support for DEI, but research found that customers crave consistency from the companies they do business with, and the sudden U-turn away from DEI commitments leadership previously touted was viewed as a failure of integrity.

Add to that the surge of disinformation and job loss AI is already bringing to the business world, and it's clear we're facing a new world of reputation management. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel look at some recent research and reports to zero in on the newest reputation challenges and how communicators should face them.
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Pick a superlative, and it probably applies to Mary Meeker, the venture capitalist and former Wall Street securities analyst best known for her annual Internet Trends Reports. These reports, released in the form of presentation decks, were the culmination of deep research Meeker conducted. Her last report was published June 12, 2019 at Recode's Code Conference, but she just released a new one dedicated entirely to AI. With credibility as strong as hers, it's likely that this report will become the defining source of truth about the state of AI. In this short midweek FIR episode, Neville and Shel break down the report to focus on elements that are meaningful to professional communicators.
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The post FIR #467: Mary Meeker’s 2025 AI Trends Report appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Not only are AI chatbots still hallucinating; by some accounts, it's getting worse. Moreover, despite abundant coverage of the tendency of LLMs to make stuff up, people are still not fact-checking, leading to some embarrassing consequences. Even the legal team from Anthropic (the company behind the Claude frontier LLM) got caught.

Also in this episode:

• Google has a new tool just for making AI videos with sound: what could possibly go wrong?
• Lack of strategic leadership and failure to communicate about AI's ethical use are two findings from a new Global Alliance report
• People still matter. Some overly exuberant CEOs are walking back their AI-first proclamations
• Google AI Overviews lead to a dramatic reduction in click-throughs
• Google is teaching American adults how to be adults. Should they be finding your content?

In his tech report, Dan York looks at some services shutting down and others starting up.
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The post FIR #466: Still Hallucinating After All These Years appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Seemingly unrelated trends paint a clear picture for PR practitioners accustomed to achieving their goals through press release distribution and media pitching. The trends: People trust each other less than ever; people define what news is based on its impact on them, becoming their own gatekeepers; and video podcasts have become so popular that media outlets are including them in their upfronts. In this short midweek FIR episode, Neville and Shel find the common thread among these trends and outline how communicators can adjust their efforts to make sure their news is received and believed.
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The post FIR #465: The Trust-News-Video Podcast PR Trifecta appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Debate continues about when to disclose that you have used AI to create an output. Do you disclose any use at all? Do you confine disclosure to uses of AI that could lead people to feel deceived? Wherever you land on this question, it may not matter when it comes to building trust with your audience. According to a new study, audiences lose trust as soon as they see an AI disclosure. This doesn't mean you should not disclose, however, since finding out that you used AI and didn't disclose is even worse. That leaves little wiggle room for communicators taking advantage of AI and seeking to be as transparent as possible. In this short midweek FIR episode, Neville and Shel examine the research along with recommendations about how to be transparent while remaining trusted.
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The post FIR #464: Research Finds Disclosing Use of AI Erodes Trust appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Google's first Chief Decision Scientist, Cassie Kozyrkov, wrote recently that "The biggest challenge of the generative AI age is leaders defining value for their organization." Among leadership considerations, she says, is a mindset shift, one in which there are "endless right answers". ("When I ask an AI assistant to generate an image for me, I get a fairly solid result. When I repeat the same prompt, I get a different perfectly adequate image. Both are right answers… but which one is right-er?")

Kozyrkov's overarching conclusion is that confirming the business value of your genAI decisions will keep you on track.

In this episode, Neville and Shel review Kozyrkov's position, then look at several communication teams that have evolved their departmental use of AI based on the principles she promotes.
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