The AI Feedback Loop: Thoughts on a Shifting Media Landscape
As CEO of Babel, I’m constantly looking for opportunities to look beyond the immediate client deliverables and assess where the industry is actually heading. A recent lunch event, hosted by PR Moment and Cision, looking at The Evolving Media Landscape, granted a great opportunity to do this.
Between the networking and delicious food, we dived deep into Cision’s latest industry data, with Barnaby Barron, Head of Insights EMEA at Cision, providing a sobering but vital reality check on our current environment.
Here is what I took from the session:
1. The AI feedback loop and the death of nuance
Barnaby Barron presented some fascinating (and slightly alarming) data on how Generative AI is already warping our shared language. By tracking the use of specific terms in news coverage, his team found a massive spike in ‘AI-isms’ particularly words like pivotal, meticulously, and transformative, across mainstream media between 2020 and 2024.
The takeaway? We’re entering a potential AI feedback loop: PR’s using AI to draft releases; journalists (overburdened and under-resourced) using it to summarise or edit, and the resulting content then being used to train the next generation of AI.
As Barnaby pointed out, this creates a ‘sea of sameness’. For us at Babel, this reinforces our core belief that authentic and brave storytelling is more valuable than ever. If everyone is using the same machine-generated vocabulary, the brand that uses a distinct, human voice is the one that will actually get cut through.
2. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) advances
One of the most significant shifts discussed was the move from traditional SEO to GEO. Cision’s recent report on AI visibility highlights a critical blind spot for many brands: they focus on being found on Google, but they aren't looking at how they are cited by LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
The findings were clear: AI engines prioritise high-authority and credible signals, which means that PR is a key driver for AI search visibility, particularly when it comes to mentions in authoritative news outlets.
3. The human element in a social-first world
The GEO summary report also touched on the fragmentation of news consumption, particularly among Gen Z. With a majority of 18-30-year-olds now going to social media first for information, the definition of ‘media’ has expanded further.
Barnaby’s insights highlighted that while AI can help with scale, it can’t build trust. Journalists are increasingly wary of AI-generated outreach, and strong media relationships and insights, still go a long way.
Final thoughts: embracing bravery
The landscape is undoubtedly more complex. We’re navigating a world of shrinking newsrooms, AI-driven language shifts, and the transition from links to citations.
But for those of us willing to be bold, the opportunity is huge. By focusing on high-authority earned media (essentially the fuel for GEO) and maintaining a fiercely human voice in our storytelling, we can ensure that our clients aren't just part of the noise, they’re the ones defining the narrative.
Let’s be brave enough to keep media and brand storytelling human.
