AI Is Changing the Rules of Communication. Cannes Showed That Trust and Relationships Will Decide the Future

3. 8. 2026

 

The Cannes Lions Festival each year offers a glimpse into where marketing and communications are heading in the years to come. For several years now, an integral part of the programme has been PR in Cannes, an expert platform organised by the Czech agency PRAM Consulting under the auspices of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO). This year’s edition brought together representatives of global agencies, research organisations, media, and academia. Although artificial intelligence dominated discussions across the festival, the key takeaway from PR in Cannes was surprisingly human: in the AI era, trust, reputation, and long-term relationships will become even more valuable.

The concept of Relationship Capital—the value of relationships with employees, customers, partners, institutions, and the media—became the central theme running through all discussions. From different perspectives, the individual panels demonstrated that the future of public relations will not be built on the volume of content produced, but on organisations’ ability to build trusted relationships with their stakeholders. This idea connected conversations about artificial intelligence, the changing information landscape, human creativity, and the future of communications agencies.

The event opened with a roundtable moderated by former PRovoke Media Editor-in-Chief Arun Sudhaman. The discussion drew on the latest ICCO World PR Report, which found that top executives are no longer interested in piles of spreadsheets. Instead, strategic consulting (expected to grow at 37% of firms) and corporate reputation (anticipated growth according to 41% of PR leaders) have become the industry’s key priorities. At the same time, the report highlights that while artificial intelligence—already used in some form by 81% of agencies—automates routine tasks and significantly accelerates content creation, real value will increasingly come from human judgement, trust, and the ability to build long-term relationships. According to the report, the quality of relationships with key stakeholders is becoming one of the most important drivers of long-term organisational resilience and growth. In other words, Relationship Capital is no longer merely a communications discipline but one of the most important business assets of modern organisations.

 

Morning round table. 

 

AI Opens a New Chapter for Public Relations

One of the strongest themes of the programme was the transformation of the information ecosystem. Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are increasingly influencing the information people receive about brands. As a result, public relations must adapt to a world where it is no longer sufficient to be visible only in search engines or traditional media. It is equally important to understand which sources large language models themselves rely on.

This topic was explored by the International Association for Media Intelligence (FIBEP). “Artificial intelligence has become a new communication channel whose content can be monitored and measured in much the same way as traditional media. Many FIBEP members are already able to analyse the outputs of large language models and provide brands with insights into their AI visibility,” said Magdalena Horanska, Managing Director of Newton Media for the SEE region.

The discussion was followed by a presentation from Worldcom Public Relations Group and Semrush, who unveiled the results of an international study analysing responses generated by leading AI platforms across eight global markets. Patrik Schober of PRAM Consulting, the organising agency, argued that large language models should now be regarded as a new stakeholder group, as they increasingly determine which information reaches people. The research also showed that generative AI does not favour the loudest brands or the largest volume of content. Instead, its responses are primarily based on trusted media, expert publications, and locally relevant authorities. Trustworthiness is therefore becoming not only a matter of human reputation but also one of the key prerequisites for brand visibility within AI environments. Organisations will therefore need to adapt their communication strategies not only to the needs of their traditional stakeholders but also to the way large language models evaluate and cite information.

 

Panel of Worldcom PR Group.

 

Human Creativity Is Becoming More Valuable

The importance of human creativity repeatedly emerged as one of the strongest themes throughout the programme. PVBLIC Foundation, together with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), emphasised that even the highest-quality data is not enough on its own. Only powerful storytelling can transform complex information into narratives that inspire both understanding and action. The University of South Carolina, represented among others by Dean Tom Reichert, pointed out that although AI is fundamentally changing the way marketers and communications professionals work, it cannot replace human curiosity, empathy, or the ability to truly understand audiences.

A similar perspective was shared by Vineet Handa of Kaizzen Communications and Michael Frohoff of Kruger Media, who argued that agencies will increasingly move away from selling content production and instead focus on strategic consulting, data interpretation, and building long-term value for clients. The same conclusion was reinforced during the closing M&A Advisory panel, where David Blois stressed that the advisory role and the ability to combine technology with human judgement will become one of the communications industry’s key competitive advantages in the age of artificial intelligence.

Alžběta Fridrichová, co-owner of the PR agency Adison, drew the same conclusion from this year’s Cannes Lions. According to her, public relations has never been more relevant than it is today. At a time when brand visibility is determined not only by people but also by large language models, communications is returning to its fundamentals: understanding stakeholders, producing high-quality content, and building reputation over the long term. At the same time, she noted that AI is transforming the economics of agency work by reducing the time required for execution without diminishing the value of experience, creativity, or strategic thinking.
Fridrichová also believes that the business model of communications agencies is changing. While artificial intelligence significantly reduces the time needed to complete many tasks, it does not reduce the value of the outcome or the expertise of the people behind it. According to her, the agencies that will succeed over the coming years will be those capable of combining technological capabilities with creativity, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of their clients.

 

Panel of Fibep and their guests.

 

What Should We Take Away from Cannes?

The PR in Cannes programme demonstrated that artificial intelligence does not signal the end of public relations but rather an opportunity to strengthen its strategic role. Organisations will need to invest more in credible information, trusted stakeholder relationships, and a deeper understanding of how generative AI systems evaluate information. The combination of technology, human creativity, and trust emerged as the defining message of this year’s event and one of the most significant trends communications professionals are taking home from Cannes Lions 2026.

 

Author of the article: Jakub Černý, PRAM Consulting