Ksenia Strozhovskaya, Head of AI&Tech PR at VK, shared which trends will persist and carry over into 2026. Last year, the artificial intelligence trend became defining and the field of PR and communications was no exception. Today, AI already serves as a core working tool for analytics, monitoring, insight generation, and preparing creative concepts, scripts, and content. It radically speeds up processes and lowers the barrier to entry for complex formats.
Simultaneously, AI has carved out a new, standalone content stream: AI-generated video, synthetic characters, and hybrid formats, which audiences are increasingly perceiving as full-fledged media products. As part of one project, we used AI videos to promote an offline event and they demonstrated higher engagement than classic production. This confirms that AI-generated content has moved beyond the experiment phase and become a legitimate communications tool.
A separate shift is linked to the changing information consumption model: more and more people are using AI assistants instead of classic search. For brands, this means a new challenge: securing presence in AI-generated search results.
Thus, AI today is simultaneously an operational tool, a new media channel, and a new arena for competing for attention and trust.
Simultaneously, AI has carved out a new, standalone content stream: AI-generated video, synthetic characters, and hybrid formats, which audiences are increasingly perceiving as full-fledged media products. As part of one project, we used AI videos to promote an offline event and they demonstrated higher engagement than classic production. This confirms that AI-generated content has moved beyond the experiment phase and become a legitimate communications tool.
A separate shift is linked to the changing information consumption model: more and more people are using AI assistants instead of classic search. For brands, this means a new challenge: securing presence in AI-generated search results.
Thus, AI today is simultaneously an operational tool, a new media channel, and a new arena for competing for attention and trust.
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