4 Ways Machine Learning May Soon Solve (Some of Your) PR Problems

If the fragmented media environment is a sick patient, machine learning may be the cure. That was the proposition Andrew Heyward, visiting scholar from MIT's Media Laboratory and former president of CBS News, outlined in his presentation, "Can Robots Solve Your PR Problems?" at the New York offices of agency Makovsky on Feb. 6. Heyward and his colleagues at MIT Media Lab's Laboratory for Social Machines are studying artificial intelligence solutions to modern plights of the PR practitioner: fake news, polarization, the public's lack of faith in journalism and short attention spans, to name a few. Heyward's group uses machine learning algorithms as their primary tool to map and track the overall health of the public sphere. And soon, PR pros may be able to use those AI insights to make better decisions--whether they're managing a crisis or planning a national campaign. Here are four PR applications of AI and machine learning shared by Heyward.