AI Masterclass: Advanced Strategies for Leaders
Advanced
Summary
Artificial intelligence is no longer an emerging technology for public relations—it's here, and it's reshaping how we research, create, measure, and communicate. But while many practitioners have experimented with AI tools, few have developed the strategic frameworks needed to deploy them effectively, manage their risks, and lead their teams through this transformation.
This intensive full-day masterclass brings together two of the UK's most respected voices on AI in communications. Whether you lead an in-house team or run an agency, you'll leave with actionable strategies for selecting the right tools, getting dramatically better results from AI systems, understanding where the industry is heading, and navigating the genuine risks that come with adoption.
This isn't a beginner's introduction. It's a deep dive for leaders who are ready to move from experimentation to strategic implementation.
Morning Session: Mastering AI Tools and Techniques
Led by Andrew Bruce Smith
The difference between average and exceptional AI outputs often comes down to how you approach the tools. This session focuses on the practical skills that separate proficient users from true power users.
What you'll cover:
Tool Selection and Analysis With hundreds of AI tools now available—from general-purpose large language models to specialist PR applications—knowing what to invest in (and what to avoid) is critical. You'll learn frameworks for evaluating tools against your specific needs, understanding their capabilities and limitations, and making informed decisions about where to allocate budget and attention.
Advanced Prompting Techniques The quality of AI output is directly tied to the quality of your input. This session goes beyond basic prompting to explore sophisticated techniques that dramatically improve results. You'll learn how to structure complex requests, use system prompts effectively, chain prompts for multi-step tasks, and develop prompting strategies tailored to different use cases in PR and communications work.
Practical Application Throughout the morning, you'll work with real examples and leave with templates and approaches you can immediately apply to your own work.
Afternoon Session: Strategy, Risk, and the Future of AI in PR
Led by Ben Verinder
This session provides fresh insight on AI usage in public relations, including the possible trajectories of adoption as the technology continues to advance. It will also consider the risks AI poses to both the function and the organisation and how those can be best managed, alongside the implications for PR team and agency management.
What you'll cover:
AI adoption in public relations This session draws on new research, alongside a range of case studies, to examine current adoption trends across the industry and the future trajectories that will shape PR practice over the coming years. It will look at AI usage in terms of volume and typology and explore what's working, what isn't and why.
Understanding and mitigating risk AI adoption brings real risks - to a PR function, to clients and to the broader organisation. From hallucination to data bias, intellectual property to environmental impacts, we will unpack risks and consider their likelihood and impact in different operating contexts, alongside practical strategies to mitigate them.
Ramifications for team and agency management This session explores the management implications of AI adoption, including team structure, skills retention and development, business modelling, regulatory tracking, ethical oversight and the opportunities afforded by the potential gains in productivity.
Your Trainers
Andrew Bruce Smith Andrew is a specialist in AI applications for communications and has trained representatives from over 3,000 organisations over the last 15 years including NATO, NHS, Specsavers, Sky, and Jaguar Land Rover. Andrew brings deep expertise in the practical application of AI tools and techniques to PR and communications work.
Ben Verinder Ben is an agency founder, strategic communication and public relations expert advising boards, senior teams and communications professionals, and a pioneering authority on AI in PR. Alongside Stephen Waddington, he is the co-editor of 'AI for PR', a new book on the subject commissioned by Kogan Page, due out in early 2026.
Ben is also one of 50 Founding Chartered public relations practitioners globally and a regular speaker on AI and PR, crisis and issues management, communication, reputation and research.
He delivers training and consultancy on these topics to a wide range of public and private sector clients in the UK and internationally, focusing on helping communication teams adapt and integrate AI into their workflows while mitigating adoption risks.
Places are limited to ensure an interactive, workshop-style experience. Early booking is recommended.