How Do You Navigate A PR Crisis Caused By AI?

Despite the frequent claims by increasingly desperate evangelists keen to avoid a cataclysmic financial bubble, AI is not always suited to every company, situation or industry, and its irresponsible use can quickly lead to a PR crisis.

Given that AI summaries are so notoriously unreliable that they have led to landmark court rulings, using large language model tools should be undertaken with extreme caution, as your business may be liable for any misinformation caused by hallucinated information.

AI tools themselves are subject to an unprecedented PR crisis to the point that younger demographics outright reject any tool, marketing or product that appears to have been made in whole or in part using AI tools.

Because of this, AI can create PR crises in a wide number of ways, from its mere existence to the spread of misinformation or malpractice. How do you navigate these disasters?

Every type of AI-related PR crisis requires a separate approach, but here are three common scenarios and how you can navigate them.

How Can You Navigate Backlash When Using AI Marketing Tools?

A lot of small businesses have started to use AI-generated copy and images. This usually takes the shape of a distinctive, generic and broadly hideous set of posters.

These sorts of images, as well as the much more insidious development of deepfake images that create false images of reality that are easily missed on a fast-moving social media feed, are quickly generated but can create backlash from some parts of your audience.

This is especially true if the generated materials make something up, get simple facts wrong or feel uncanny due to an inability for large language models (LLMs) to understand the context of the work they have generated.

The answer is to focus on what AI cannot provide: authenticity.

Be clear, honest and transparent about the tools you use, how you use them and what oversight is in place to avoid mistakes being made.

Listen to your audience and gauge their reaction; sometimes the efficiency gains are not worth the loss of trust from your audience, and it is worth returning to other, more human-centred marketing initiatives.

What Should You Do If AI Makes Your Product Worse?

AI often sells businesses the idea that they can replace experts and skilled artisans with a single tool. In the programming world, this concept is known as vibecoding, and it has caused no end of problems.

Sometimes, a PR disaster comes when an AI tool is used as part of the process, and it makes everything worse. Whether that is an off-putting design, hidden offensive language and/or images, an uncanny video or software that does not work properly, it can cost more than you expect.

Honesty is the best policy when disclosing your use or experimentation with AI, or if certain assets were provided by AI.

A good example of this PR done right was found in the 2025 video game Expedition 33, which, whilst critically acclaimed, was also criticised for AI-generated assets that were found in the finished product.

The company apologised, explained how it happened in the first place, removed the infringing assets and vowed that it would never happen again.

What Can You Do If AI Lies About You?

A lie can travel the world before the truth can tie its shoelaces, and navigating an AI-driven PR disaster relies on honesty and addressing any misinformation head-on.

Be precise with any refutations, link to official sources, strengthen your own authoritative content and escalate the situation if it reaches the point of damaging defamation.

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Dane Prinsloo • July 7, 2026

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