Podcasting 2.0's new podcast features are about open standards, platform independence, accessibility, and who controls the relationship with your audience. @nevillehobson.xyz and I explore the opportunities and obstacles in the latest FIR 522. 🎧💻 firpodcast.s.gy/1cKbhF

Your brand is no longer defined solely by what you say about yourself. Increasingly, it's defined by the answers AI gives when someone asks about you. @nevillehobson.xyz and I discuss the rise of the answer economy with Pete Blackshaw in a new FIR Interview. 🎧💻 bit.ly/3RdeqR4

I am pausing the “On the Same Page” podcast & Steve won't continue as co-host. I am considering the right future for the show. Steve's recent post was inconsistent with the respect for people that is fundamental to our profession and to any work carrying my name.

Ford rehired 300+ veteran engineers after AI quality checks fell short – and topped JD Power's quality survey as a result. In #FIRpodcast 521, @nevillehobson.xyz and I discuss the gap between documentation and judgment, and what IBM and Klarna's AI reversals reveal. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4vOuU0S

Wowcher sent a marketing email referencing a toddler's crocodile attack 2 days after it happened. Plus shadow AI, anti-AI sentiment, news trust, personal branding & internal comms – all in #FIRpodcast 520 with @nevillehobson.xyz and me. bit.ly/4oRbOEJ

New research extends the hostile media effect to misinformation: people believe fake news targets their side more than the other. In #FIRpodcast 519, @nevillehobson.xyz and I look at what that means for communicators. 🎧💻https://bit.ly/4aOTG8J

PR misread the internet in 1995 and social media in 2007. Are we about to do it a third time with AI? In FIR 518, @nevillehobson.xyz and I dig into Stephen Waddington's sharp provocation for the CIPR. bit.ly/4e96fOo

Some companies spent more on AI than on the employees they replaced. Now they're walking it back, quietly. In #FIRpodcast 517, @nevillehobson.xyz and I look at what communicators should do when a loud promise meets a messy reality. bit.ly/4omRpHF

The Economist is building separate web content for AI agents, not just humans. In #FIRpodcast 516, @nevillehobson.xyz and I explore what that means for communicators, and why content like FAQ and press releases may need restructuring. www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-516-your...

In #FIRpodcast 515, @nevillehobson.xyz and I cover 6 topics that explore how content is found, how communicators prove their value, and how organizations govern the AI tools now operating within them. Plus @danyork's monthly Tech Report on WordPress 7.0. Worth a listen. 🎧💻https://bit.ly/3RsGLme

Was Twitter a unique moment in media history rather than a repeatable model? In #FIRpodcast 514, @nevillehobson.xyz and I discuss why text-based social networks may be fragmenting – and why relevance, trust, and smaller communities could matter more now. 🔗 bit.ly/43iN7qO

Today, using Claude Cowork and AI agents in comms workflows is a realistic proposition. In #FIRpodcast 513 @nevillehobson.xyz and I explore what happens when AI starts orchestrating workflows themselves. This has moved way beyond just experimenting. 🔗 bit.ly/4dflcN1

Is AI becoming the new “executive influencer”? In #FIRpodcast 512, @nevillehobson.xyz & I explore whether leaders are using AI to support decisions – or starting to defer to it. Big questions around judgment, trust, and accountability. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4n2UdJ2

I used to answer customer surveys. Now I mostly treat them like spam. holtz.com/blog/blog/we...

Policies. Training. Guardrails. And still a major law firm filed AI-generated errors in court. In #FIRpodcast 511, @nevillehobson.xyz & I unpack why this is about accountability, not tech. Plus 5 more stories and @danyork.bsky.social's tech report. 🎧💻 bit.ly/3QBStdK

Employees aren’t waiting for AI strategies – they’re already using the tools. In FIR 510, @nevillehobson.xyz & I explore “shadow AI” as a signal of unmet demand, not just a risk – and what that means for leadership, governance, and communicators. 🎧💻 bit.ly/3QSkb5Z

AI voice cloning + fake content uploads + automated copyright claims – someone else earns revenue from your original work before any human reviews it. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz unpack the story – and suggest what communicators should do – in #FIRpodcast 509. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4cboG3Y

AI isn’t just trained on data anymore – it’s trained on us. In FIR 508, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explore the rise of “data labour” where identity (voice, behaviour, daily life) becomes the input. What does that mean for trust, ethics, and transparency? 🎧💻 bit.ly/4tVXWdZ

AI writing – helpful or harmful? In FIR 507, @nevillehobson.xyz and I look beyond the LinkedIn backlash. For many professionals, writing isn’t their skill – it’s a task. AI can help. But voice, judgement, and trust still matter. Where do we draw the line? 🎧💻 bit.ly/41wX578

AI is changing communication – and the assumptions behind it. In FIR 506, @nevillehobson.xyz & I cover: • Billable hours • Observed work • PR budget hype • Misinformation risk • Bots vs humans • Are humans still central? Plus, @danyork.bsky.social on tech. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4t270x8

Is social media still “social”? In #FIRpodcast 505, @nevillehobson.xyz and I explore Hootsuite’s 2026 Trends report, addressing social as search, AI vs authenticity, and more. Plus a darker question – what if AI starts to dominate the conversation? 🎧💻 bit.ly/4bhc7DJ

In #FIRpodcast 504, @nevillehobson.xyz and I talk about “AI washing” – when organizations attribute layoffs to AI even though the real reasons may be different. When the message differs from reality, trust erodes. It's an ethical bind for communicators. bit.ly/4s338vH

A leader can build goodwill for days... and lose it in seconds. In #FIRpodcast 503, nevillehobson.xyz & I examine the #IOC press conference moment that turned into a global story about blame, executive readiness & leadership capital. 🎧💻 bit.ly/3OKM3YX

In #FIRpodcast 502, @nevillehobson.xyz and I unpacked what happened when an AI coding agent's code was rejected by a human developer – and the AI then published a critique of him and his decision. Plus 5 more topics in this long-form episode for February. 🔗 bit.ly/46ou3cR

In #FIRpodcast 500, @nevillehobson.xyz & I talk about AI-enabled workplace abuse and why it needs to be treated as workplace harm. For communicators, this is about preparation – what to do before anything happens to prevent silence becoming permission. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4tsVU5w

PRSA says staying “apolitical” protects credibility. In #FIRpodcast 499, @nevillehobson.xyz & I ask a harder question: what happens to credibility, truth and standards when ethical goes quiet? 🎧💻 bit.ly/4tmraTN Thoughtful discussion welcomed.

Most crises aren’t sudden. AI, trust erosion, and compound risks expose how unprepared organizations still are. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz host a new #FIRpodcast interview with Philippe Borremans @riskcomms.bsky.social on crisis communication trends for 2026. 🎧💻 bit.ly/45AKdzn

The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer warns of a crisis of insularity – trust hasn’t collapsed, but has narrowed. In the lead story in #FIRpodcast 498, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz examine Edelman’s idea of “trust brokering”, which has attracted critical response. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4q2FIoL

BCG’s latest AI Radar report shows AI has become a CEO-owned issue – not a tech project. In #FIRpodcast 479, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz discuss confidence gaps, agentic AI, and why communicators now sit at the centre of trust, meaning, and change. 🎧💻 bit.ly/49tiG5k

On #FIRpodcast 496, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz unpack the PRCA’s proposed 2½-page new “definition” of public relations. The public debate will be an important conversation. Big questions about clarity, accessibility, and who gets to define the profession. 🎧💻 bit.ly/49AYJrQ

21 years ago, on 5 Jan 2005, we published the first @firpodcast.bsky.social podcast episode. Yesterday, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I marked the anniversary with a short, reflective conversation. We're grateful to everyone who’s listened along the way. Thank you! 🎧💻 bit.ly/49pBBMY

Reddit has overtaken TikTok as the UK’s 4th most-visited social platform. In FIR 495, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz talk about why search + AI are now amplifying human conversation, not polished messaging, and what that means for communicators. 🎧💻 bit.ly/49HG3rQ

"PR is dead", says Martin Sorrell on BBC Radio 4, challenged live on air by the PRCA's Sarah Waddington. @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz unpack the fallout. They also cover the future of news and more in this long-form episode 494. 🎧💻 six reports - Dec 2025 bit.ly/3Yg01Dy

In #FIRpodcast #493, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz look at how artificial early engagement can trick algorithms into creating visibility that looks like significance. It's alarmingly easy to do. 🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-493-how-...

In #FIRpodcast 492, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz look at how the story of the Omnicom–IPG layoffs unfolded: ▪️ One official, investor-focused narrative. ▪️ Another on LinkedIn and Reddit. When people have platforms, the press release isn’t the whole story. 🎧💻 bit.ly/48X038r

In a new #FIRpodcast interview, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz talk with Josh Bernoff about his major survey of writers and AI – the deep divide between users and non-users, productivity gains, “AI slop,” trust, and why the real story isn’t replacement but re-sorting. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4s3XFp8

FIR 491: One Big Four consulting firm. Two government reports on opposite sides of the world, packed with fake AI-generated citations. Even a CDC-linked study got caught. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz unpack why “human in the loop” now means “human fact-checker.” 🎧💻 bit.ly/4puRxV8

Communicators are adjusting their content strategies to accommodate the sources AI models use to produce search results. There are problems with the studies that claim to identify those sources. Neville and I dove into the situation in our latest FIR podcast episode.

In FIR 489, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz dig into “idea inflation” – when leaders fire off AI-generated thought-leadership ideas and teams are left to clean up the mess. Plus: brand under comms, vibe coding, quantum, and more. 🎧💻 Listen or watch: bit.ly/43AUVoy #FIRpodcast

“Going viral” isn’t a strategy – it’s a dice roll. In FIR 485 @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explain why you should drop it from your objectives and what to measure instead. Plan for compounding attention, not spikes. 🔗 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-485-is-i... #FIRpodcast

A new #AI tool called #OliviaBrown can create & send entire PR campaigns, even follow up with journalists. In FIR 484, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss what this means for trust and the future of #publicrelations. 🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-484-is-o...

Was Tylenol's response to presidential claims that it causes autism in children whose mothers used while pregnant worth holding up as a case study? @nevillehobson.xyz and I break it down in the latest FIR podcast episode. www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-483-how-...

In #FIRpodcast 482, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz dig into #workslop – workplace content that looks good but adds no real value Also: human-centred organisations, the evolving role of internal comms, Amazon’s AI audience targeting, AI and press releases, and more. 🎧 bit.ly/42i54Wy

#AI can polish our words, but at what cost to authenticity? In #FIRpodcast 481, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss tone in AI-assisted writing and the 2025 em dash kerfuffle. Plus, Shel’s project to turn 28 blog posts into a new book with AI’s help. 🎧 Listen: bit.ly/42c8n1n

AI nightmare by Republicans, medicare. Profit share to deny government claims…https://www.nytimes.... #AI #Republicans #medicare

#SEO vs #GEO. In #FIRpodcast 479, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz ask: is generative optimisation the future, or just the latest acronym soup? Spoiler: trust and clarity still win. 🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-479-hack...

Silence isn’t golden - or neutral. In FIR 478, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I ask: when does not speaking up do more damage than saying something? We also dive into AI, PR’s reputation, deepfakes, and more. 🎧 Tune in: www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-478-when...

#Wikipedia is under pressure from AI “slop” and from UK regulation. In FIR 477, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss Wikipedia’s new speedy deletion policy, and losing a legal challenge under the UK’s Online Safety Act. What does it all mean for communicators? 🔗 bit.ly/4fOwRUc

RSS never died, it just faded from view. In #FIRpodcast 475, @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social talk about the quiet comeback of RSS, powered by AI and fediverse vibes. That's powerful, and it might be key to taking back control from the algorithms. bit.ly/4lYTZ4h #RSS #AI #fediverse

In a new FIR Interview, @nevillehobson.xyz, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @silviacambie.bsky.social speak with Monsignor Paul Tighe from The Vatican on the ethical challenges AI poses to humanity, work, and dignity. Tune in: 🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-intervie... #AI #ethics #AntiquaEtNova