For the first time in internet history, machine-generated traffic has surpassed human traffic.
Jeff Hicks, Chief Product & Technology Officer of PR Newswire shared the above data during recent press conference of the launch of Amplify in Asia Pacific. He noted that as AI becomes an important audience, communications strategy is shifting from human-first to AI- and human-first.
As LLMs increasingly become a preferred tool for humans, brands that fail to be seen by AI risk becoming invisible in the digital landscape.
From Information Distribution to Building Trusted Assets
The focus of PR is no longer on one-off campaigns, but on creating narratives that remain discoverable, credible, and valuable over time.
Hicks described the industry's new imperative as: "Be Seen, Be Cited, Be Trusted." Campaigns must not only reach audiences but also become the trusted sources that AI platforms reference and recommend.
To be included in AI-generated answers, content must meet four criteria:
- it must be factual and verifiable,
- come from authoritative sources,
- follow a structure AI can understand, and
- demonstrate expertise and credibility.
This shift is also redefining the role of the press release. Hicks noted, "The Press Release Is the Source of Truth for AI platforms." Press releases distributed through trusted newswire services provide verified facts, authoritative source and a structured format—making them a reliable source for AI-generated responses.
GEO and AEO: The Next Frontier of Optimization
As AI reshapes how information is discovered, optimization is evolving from SEO to GEO and AEO. While SEO targets search rankings, GEO and AEO focus on influencing how AI generates answers.
Hicks likened AI generated responses to an iceberg: the sources users see are just the tip. Beneath the surface, AI draws on training data, brand narratives and accumulated knowledge. Success means becoming part of the knowledge AI trusts to generate answers.
According to PR Newswire's content standards, AI-ready content should have three characteristics:
Deliver practical value by answering specific questions or providing actionable solutions.
Use structured, scannable formats, including bullet points, FAQs and visual data.
Meet E-E-A-T standards by demonstrating Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
PR Newswire Amplify™: Built for the AI-led Era
PR Newswire introduced PR Newswire Amplify™, an AI-powered, end-to-end communications platform that connects content planning, creation, distribution and reporting in one workflow. It also enables multichannel distribution across earned, paid, social and owned media.
At its core, the platform is built around two capabilities: Content Planning and Creation, helping communicators develop AI-ready, impactful content.
The Create Module is trained on decades of PR Newswire distribution data and industry best practices. The new Press Release Score feature evaluates content, while providing AEO and GEO optimization recommendations to improve AI discoverability.
The Brand Voice feature keeps all generated content aligned with a brand's tone, messaging and editorial standards, helping organizations maintain a consistent voice across every communication.
Gartner predicts that global spending on PR and earned media will double by 2027.
Susan Wohleking, senior vice-president for marketing at PR Newswire, said “communicators globally have to evolve so that their content is attractive and visible to AI search engines.”
Built for this, PR Newswire Amplify™ helps organizations plan, create, distribute and optimize trusted content—enabling brands to tell their stories with greater visibility, credibility and impact.