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This is the first in a three-part series recapping our salon event, “The Future of Reputation in the Age of AI,” hosted at Highwire’s San Francisco office on November 12, 2025.
As artificial intelligence reshapes nearly every facet of business, the role of communications is rapidly evolving. At our recent Highwire salon, communications leaders from Pinterest, Roblox, OpenAI, PG&E, and Axios gathered to discuss how AI is transforming their work, and what that means for the future of reputation.
The key takeaway? Reputation is no longer just about what brands say, but how they integrate AI in a way that reflects their values, empowers their teams, and earns public trust.
Below are five truths that emerged from the conversation:
1. AI Supercharges Both Opportunity and Risk
AI is transforming the scale and speed of communications – but also raising the stakes.
“Anyone here who does communications… you're automatically thinking about supercharging the work,” said Eric Porterfield, Senior Director of Policy Communications at Roblox. “But yes, it's going to supercharge the risk. You're going to see more harm, more concerns, more lawsuits, more hearings.”
As AI accelerates business and comms functions, it also amplifies scrutiny, putting reputation teams squarely at the center of risk and resilience strategy.
2. Human Judgment Still Reigns
Technology can support communications, but it can’t replace instinct, relationships, or ethics.
“There is never a time where I'm just taking what it produces and handing it over to a reporter or to an executive,” said Lindsey Held Bolton, VP of Communications at OpenAI. “Our jobs will always be important because there is a human element to what we do.”
AI may expedite first drafts and data pulls, but the most sophisticated communicators treat it as a partner (not a replacement) for creative, relational, and ethical decision-making.
3. AI Should Empower Human Values, Not Erode Them
Human intent still matters, and AI should be used in service of it.
“Our big priority for 2026 is simplification,” said moderator Eleanor Hawkins of Axios. And as our publisher always says, like, as a human, he's very pro-human.”
“At Axios, we are encouraged to use AI, not to write our stories, but to simplify our work. It allows us to cover more areas, especially in local markets, with fewer reporters… while also maintaining our credibility, our expertise, and work smarter, faster.” Hawkins concluded.
4. Internal Alignment Is the New Front Line of Reputation
For comms leaders, one of the biggest challenges of this AI era is leading internal transformation with empathy.
“Unless you bring all of your team along, you're going to create the haves and the have-nots. The passionate and the afraid,” said David McCulloch, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at PG&E
“And that's one of the biggest challenges for us as leaders – to ensure you’re leading AI in a way that is optimistic and positive and about possibility, and not just about how we are going to squeeze a bit more out of the budget,” McCulloch said.
Even with the best tools and intentions, leaders who push AI without education or inclusion risk eroding trust from the inside out. Reputation now starts with how we lead our own teams through change.
There’s Never Been a More Critical Moment for Comms Leadership
Marketing and communications is more foundational than ever.
“There’s never been a better time to be a comms person than right now,” Porterfield declared. “We have so much responsibility in this age.”
As trust becomes harder to earn and easier to lose, the marcomms function is no longer just about visibility, it’s about shaping the human narrative behind technological progress.
Up Next: In Part 2, we’ll explore the specific tools and AI applications reshaping modern comms workflows, from predictive models to internal agents.
To learn more about how Highwire is approaching the new age of AI, check out our AI Index, AI Maturity Model and Corporate Reputation offerings.
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