Why AI is a Non-Negotiable in Crisis Communications in 2025

When I started in corporate communications, crisis communications was a pesky issue that most companies chose to ignore. Until a few decades ago, significant crises were rare. If one occurred, responses were reactive and primarily localized. That’s not to say that there were no crisis plans. Some companies had them. But they often sat on shelves gathering dust until they were too old to be relevant.

Then, social media and round-the-clock news cycles arrived, and crises were everywhere. What used to be covered locally now goes global, devastating brand reputations and leaving companies scrambling to rebuild trust. Just think about how many crises we’ve seen since 2008–the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and unprecedented political divisiveness.

Having no crisis communications plan is unthinkable in 2025 simply because of the massive damage that can be done within minutes on social media. Companies that are still without them are putting themselves at significant risk. Crises have become so prevalent that a new term has emerged: Polycrisis.

Polycrises A whole new ballgame

What is a polycrisis? Think of it as a circle of dominoes. Knock one down, and they all start toppling in unstoppable motion. This is the essence of a polycrisis. This Cambridge University article gives an in-depth explanation of the phenomenon.

For example, when financial giant Lehman Brothers failed in 2008, other U.S. financial services giants started collapsing, followed by global corporations faltering, shaking the world economy to its core.

This event was the definition of a polycrisis – and many more have followed since.

More recently, think about the global impact of the Ukraine-Russian war. Gas from Russia was stopped, and European countries had to find other, more expensive alternatives.

That impacted almost every area of life in European countries that depended on the Russian pipeline. Food and energy prices skyrocketed, and families that used to be in the middle class tumbled into poverty because they couldn’t keep up with the rapidly rising cost of living. This article from Reuters painted a grim picture.

These polycrises are so complex that finding solutions and stopping the compounding effect is difficult. Traditional crisis management won’t fit the bill because it has so many moving parts.

So how do companies respond to our "breaking news," interconnected world where events in distant countries can change the fortunes of industry titans in a matter of minutes?

Enter Artificial Intelligence (Yes, I said it!)

AI can be everywhere you need it to be at one time. AI-powered social listening tools go way beyond simple media monitoring. It can track social media conversations, analyze the patterns of destructive bots and trolls and predict dangers to organizations using massive amounts of data.

This way, companies can respond to crises in real time, significantly limiting or avoiding reputational damage.

One of the best communications trends reports I’ve seen this year, called Communications Trend Radar 2024, comes from Germany and explains AI’s ability to allow teams to detect crises in real time as they unfold!

The report notes that AI can quickly analyze massive amounts of data and create actionable insights; it gives communicators the advantage of responding much more rapidly than before.

AI’s ability to generate content is also transforming crisis communication. Tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI models can produce tailored, crisis-specific messages at an unprecedented speed. In situations where time is critical, AI can assist communications teams in crafting consistent, relevant messages across various platforms,

In a crisis, you need to speak to people directly in a way that they understand

One of the most significant advantages of using AI in crisis communications is that it can personalize messages for different stakeholders.

Traditional crisis communications often use one-size-fits-all messaging. This can isolate diverse audiences who may ignore the messaging if they think it doesn’t pertain to them.

Message avoidance is rising because of the constant influx of information daily. That’s a death knell in crisis communications when your stakeholders must know what is happening. Being able to show empathy by addressing different groups’ uniqueness is a significant strategic advantage.

However, while personalization can improve engagement and trust, it raises ethical concerns. Using AI to personalize messages must be transparent to stakeholders. Let them know you’re using AI in your crisis communications.

Ethical Boundaries for AI

Using AI in crisis communications can present ethical challenges. For example, AI could accidentally spread misinformation. AI-generated messages could be manipulated to mislead audiences during a crisis.

That is why humans are needed to lead the charge in crisis responses. Communications directors must implement clear guidelines for using AI. Further, without human editing, AI messaging sounds robotic.

Human writers are needed to add emotional intelligence and empathy so that stakeholders feel supported. Messaging that sounds unnatural threatens credibility and trust with your audience.

Organizations must balance AI’s speed and efficiency with human empathy and creativity for successful crisis management in 2025. Training communication teams to use AI responsibly and keeping human judgment in decision-making will help maintain ethical standards.

Are You Ready?

In my experience on professional and other social media platforms, there is still much fear about the spectre of AI. However, many companies are forging ahead and liking what they see. Forbes recently published an article with the results of a survey on companies already using AI. Here are their key takeaways (quoted directly):

• Over half of business owners use artificial intelligence for cybersecurity and fraud management.

• One in four business owners are concerned about AI affecting website traffic.

• Almost all (97%) business owners believe ChatGPT will help their businesses.

• One in three businesses plan to use ChatGPT to write website content, while 44% plan to use ChatGPT to write content in other languages.

• Nearly half (46%) of business owners use AI to craft internal communications.

• Over 40% are concerned about an over-dependence on technology due to AI use.

• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of business owners believe AI will improve customer relationships.

In crisis communications, the benefits of AI are patently clear. In the future, there should be fewer surprise crises. With a tool that can monitor sentiment on social media, alert communications leaders to potential crises and draft suggested responses explicitly tailored to get the attention of its intended audience; companies can rest easier–even in the face of polycrises.

If you need help incorporating AI into your crisis communications strategy, call COMMSPro.

Please share your thoughts on this topic in the comments below—we’d love to hear your take.

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