By Rose Lugo, EdD
Healthcare marketing teams have embraced artificial intelligence to draft everything from social media posts to newsletters and even executive messages. The result is greater efficiency—but also growing sameness. Organizations that once had distinct voices increasingly sound alike, relying on the same predictable phrases and formulaic writing.
“We’re celebrating our unwavering commitment to using AI copy. By doing this we’re sounding just like everyone else. It is not about originality. Not about engagement. It is about misusing a tool. In a moment where technology continues to advance, one thing remains clear: we need to know how to use AI.” If this copy could be on your brand’s social media channel or your executive’s keynote, stop and consider.
As AI-generated content becomes more common, originality is giving way to generic messaging that makes brands difficult to distinguish. Ironically, this has made seasoned public relations professionals more valuable than ever.
Artificial intelligence cannot establish an organization’s unique voice, understand its culture, or determine how a message will affect public trust. Those responsibilities still require professional judgment and experience.
In consumer-driven healthcare, patients and families no longer choose providers based solely on physician referrals. They research organizations online, compare credentials, read reviews, evaluate reputations, and often turn to AI platforms for recommendations.
Consumers are asking AI which rehabilitation hospital offers the strongest outcomes, which provider is best equipped to care for an aging parent, or which healthcare organization is most trusted in its community. The answers are based on the digital evidence available to those platforms.
AI evaluates quality of website content, search visibility, online reviews, earned media coverage, awards, accreditations, and recognition from respected organizations. Public relations essentially builds the digital evidence that shapes AI recommendations.
At the same time, digital advertising and streaming platforms continue to draw revenue away from traditional newsrooms, leaving fewer reporters with less time to develop stories. A shift that has expanded the publicist’s role.
The strongest public relations professionals do more than pitch ideas. They identify newsworthy angles, conduct interviews, write publication-ready copy, and provide high-quality photography and video. They anticipate journalists’ needs with credible sources and complete information. Ever more serving as an extension of the newsroom.
Do not be tempted to ask your team to create promotional copy disguised as journalism. Editors recognize that immediately, and audiences do as well. Effective public relations requires understanding the difference between what an organization wants to say and what readers will find valuable. Experienced publicists excel at making that distinction.
A seasoned communicator also understands how to adapt a story for different audiences. A clinical advancement may become an industry feature for a healthcare publication, a patient education article for consumers, or an executive thought-leadership opportunity for a business journal. The facts remain the same, but the editorial approach changes. A level of judgment that cannot be replicated by entering a prompt into an AI platform.
Artificial intelligence can accelerate research, organize information, generate ideas, and improve productivity. It is an exceptional assistant. It should not be mistaken for the communicator.
Trust in a healthcare brand is built over time through consistent, credible storytelling. Every executive interview, earned media placement, award submission, patient story, and community-impact article contributes to the brand story that shapes how stakeholders and AI platforms perceive the brand.
Healthcare leaders should ask whether their organizations have the expertise to protect their voice, cultivate media relationships, and translate accomplishments into external credibility.
Marketers will continue to embrace artificial intelligence, and they should. It offers significant advantages, but as access to the same tools becomes universal, professional judgment and originality become even greater competitive advantages.
Healthcare organizations moving the needle are relinquishing volume in favor of building authentic and credible brand stories that resonate through strong emotional connection. Seasoned public relations professionals remain essential to making that happen.
Rose Lugo, Ed.D., is Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at Catholic Health Services, Founding President of the Media Education Society, and a member of both the Public Relations Society of America and St. Thomas University’s Advancement, Engagement & Impact Council. Connect with her @RoseLugoNews.
