AI and Public Relations: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges – Mahama’s Vision for Ethical Technology Adoption
President John Dramani Mahama has highlighted the critical balance between embracing artificial intelligence opportunities and managing its inherent risks in the communications sector.
“Technology offers vast opportunities AI can enhance productivity, support climate initiatives and improve storytelling in our profession,” Mahama noted, emphasizing the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in modern public relations practices.
However, President Mahama was equally candid about the dangers, drawing from his recent United Nations General Assembly remarks. “As I reminded the world at the UN General Assembly last week, it also carries risk. AI can be misused to spread disinformation so division amongst people and undermine trust,” he warned.
Speaking at the 2025 PR Knowledge Sharing Conference held in Accra-Ghana , on Global Realities and Innovative Communication, President Mahama outlined a clear vision for how African nations should approach AI integration, emphasizing the need for home-grown solutions. “For Africa, the challenge is to adopt AI ethically and strategically developing our own frameworks that uplift our people, even as we build partnerships with the rest of the world,” he stated.
President Mahama positioned public relations as a bridge-building profession, explaining that “At its best, public relations about forging connections between leaders and their citizens, between governments and their communities, between nations and their regions, and also between tradition and innovation.”
To illustrate the critical importance of clear communication, Mahama referenced the Japanese Africa Hometowns Initiative as a cautionary tale. The program, designed for “twinning Japanese towns and cities with their African counterparts for cultural exchange and knowledge sharing,” fell victim to poor messaging.
“Misinformation that the initiative was aimed at facilitating African migration to Japan led to strong public resentment, resulting, in the counseling of the program,” Mahama explained, highlighting how “a well meaning idea became a victim of poor communications and misunderstanding.”
Drawing from this example, Mahama emphasized the expanded responsibility of modern communications professionals in the AI era. “It reminds us all that our role as communications professionals is to anticipate, explain and connect to ensure that the noble ideas that we have do not fail because of a lack of clarity,” he concluded.
The conference underscored the urgent need for PR professionals to become proactive guardians of technological narratives, ensuring AI serves to strengthen human connections rather than create divisions in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the communications industry, Mahama’s call for ethical, strategic implementation offers a roadmap for professionals navigating this transformative period while maintaining their core mission of fostering understanding and trust.
