A new report from Help a Reporter Out (HARO) suggests the public relations industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation, with practitioners now serving two distinct audiences: the people who read a story and the artificial intelligence systems that summarize it. The report, titled “What is PR in 2026?” and published today, is based on interviews with 39 PR practitioners and maps 38 distinct practices across eight themes that define modern public relations.
The central finding is the emergence of what practitioners call “machine relations” alongside traditional media relations. AI answer engines have become a primary PR surface, with practitioners conducting “prompt research,” reverse-engineering AI answer summaries across different models, and optimizing content for citations. This dual focus means that every media placement now has two audiences—the readers and the machines that cite it.
The report highlights that earned media now does double duty. One practitioner’s 16-month analysis of 166 media placements found that 84% landed in outlets with measurable AI visibility in large language models. Another agency’s client research discovered that 30-45% of AI prompt answers draw on editorial and earned media, underscoring the importance of securing coverage in outlets that influence AI summaries.
The press landscape has also fragmented into a longer tail of opportunities. Op-eds, industry trade publications, independent Substacks, and source-request platforms like HARO have replaced the traditional single big-splash placement. Meanwhile, creators function as media outlets, with PR teams researching influencers like journalists, commissioning editorial-style content, and brokering non-paid YouTube collaborations.
Despite the rise of AI, the report emphasizes that the human layer is the industry’s differentiator. As AI-generated pitches flood journalist inboxes, practitioners are returning to phone calls, in-person events, and long-term journalist relationships. “PR has always been about delivering a timely and honest message in an interesting way,” said Devon Blaine, who has owned and operated The Blaine Group for 51 years, in the report.
“The biggest shift in 2026 is that every placement now has two audiences: the readers who see the story, and the machines that cite it,” said Brett Farmiloe, CEO of Featured, which owns and operates HARO. “The practitioners in this report are mastering both.”
The full report, including all 38 practices, eight themes, and a practitioner FAQ on AI, GEO, and measurement, is available at https://blog.helpareporter.com/what-is-pr/.
