How We Use AI as a Strategic Partner- not a Shortcut- Inside Our PR Firm

In business, as in life, everything comes back to connection. It’s what builds trust, shapes perception and ultimately determines whether a company stands out or fades into the background. After more than two decades working alongside founders, executives and teams through moments of growth, crisis and reinvention, one truth has remained constant: no matter how fast technology evolves, authenticity remains a leader’s greatest advantage.

Today, we’re operating in an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we work, communicate and make decisions. Used thoughtfully, AI doesn’t diminish human leadership — it amplifies it. It helps leaders work smarter, freeing more time for strategy, creativity and relationship building, the things that truly drive impact.

At my public relations firm, Mekky Media, we’ve embraced AI as a support system. Last year, we rolled out a customized internal platform designed to help our team brainstorm ideas, uncover insights, track media trends, streamline workflows and refine content before tailoring it for each client and project. It’s become an example of how AI can enhance — not replace — human creativity and judgment while keeping authenticity and strategy at the forefront.

As I’ve told my team and peers, the key is to combine innovation with integrity. Technology can power our efficiency, but it’s our values, empathy, knowledge and experience that deliver results.

Below are ways leaders across industries can harness AI responsibly, without losing the human touch.

Build Smarter Connections, Not Automated Relationships

AI is changing how leaders identify opportunities, partners, customers and audiences. From advanced CRM platforms to data-driven networking and outreach tools, AI can analyze behavior patterns and engagement history to help leaders connect with greater intention.

This moves organizations away from guesswork and mass communication toward relevance and personalization. Still, while AI can inform who to reach and when, trust is built through consistency and credibility – not automation. Relationships are earned, and leadership remains personal.

Stay Ahead of Trends & Risks

AI is also reshaping how leaders stay informed and proactive. Machine-learning tools can monitor market shifts, customer sentiment, competitor activity and more in real time – allowing organizations to respond with clarity instead of reacting under pressure. For leaders, this means fewer surprises and greater agility. When decisions are grounded in real-time insight, teams can move faster and with more confidence.

Proving ROI With Data

Across industries, leaders are increasingly expected to show measurable outcomes. AI-powered analytics make it easier to connect actions to results — whether that’s growth, engagement, performance or revenue. These tools don’t replace intuition or vision; they reinforce them. Data provides validation, direction, and accountability, allowing leaders to make smarter decisions while maintaining creativity and strategic focus.

Content Creation With Strategy and Soul

AI can support research, planning and first drafts, from presentations and proposals to social media posts and briefs. Used well, it increases speed and efficiency. But speed alone is not the goal. Originality, clarity and emotional resonance still matter. Leaders must refine, personalize, and apply context – because technology can process information, but it cannot replace judgment, purpose or lived experience.

AI will continue to evolve, and so will the way we work. But I believe the leaders who stand out will be those who remain grounded in authenticity. The future isn’t about choosing between human or machine — it’s about blending intelligence with empathy, data with judgment and efficiency with purpose.

My advice for fellow leaders: embrace innovation, but don’t let it drown out your humanity. Tools will change. How you lead, and the values behind your decisions, should not.

More about Michelle

Michelle Mekky is a veteran, award-winning broadcast journalist and public relations executive, and the founder and CEO of Mekky Media Relations, Inc., a boutique PR agency with clients in Chicago and coast to coast. She began her career as an overnight newswriter for the morning shows at Fox-TV in Chicago, before eventually growing to become Senior Producer, overseeing all morning show content. After 12 years in the media, she transitioned into PR and marketing, working at top agencies prior to launching Mekky Media in 2016 after she survived ovarian cancer. The agency partners with organizations across a broad range of verticals, including nonprofits, technology, healthcare, restaurants, retail, fitness, financial services B2B and more.

Michelle leads a team of experienced PR professionals who help clients tell their stories, reach new audiences and fuel growth through PR strategy, media relations, media training, social media strategy, integrated digital and PR programs and personal branding. Building on nearly a decade of growth and demand for executive coaching, Michelle also recently launched Elevated by Mekky Media, a sister company specializing in personalized media training, public speaking coaching and executive presence development for leaders and teams.

Michelle and Mekky Media have been widely recognized for their success, earning multiple Gold and Silver Stevie Awards between 2018 and 2023, a PR News Top 100 Agency Elite Award, recognition as one of Expertise PR’s Best Chicago PR Firms and several Publicity Club of Chicago Gold and Silver Trumpet Awards. Michelle has also received numerous individual honors, including being named one of the 2025 100 Women to KNOW in America, PRSA Chicago’s 2023 Professional of the Year, the 2023 Daily Herald Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, a 2021 Ragan and PR Daily Communicator of the Year Award, a 2020 PR News Top Women in PR honor, a 2019 Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Entrepreneur recognition and the 2018 Bronze Stevie Award for Women in Business.

Michelle is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council, Forbes Agency Council, WBENC and the International Public Relations Network, where she serves as North American regional chair and a member of the Executive Committee. A Forbes blogger and motivational speaker, she is also a cancer survivor, a spokesperson for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and serves on the board of the Business Executives Association and the Strategic Advancement Committee for Start Early. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University’s renowned Medill School of Journalism. The daughter of immigrants, she is the first-generation in her family to go to college. Michelle also is most proud of being a mother to her children Adam and Hannah, who are getting ready to launch their own careers as they finish college and graduate school.