'Perspectives' is a Telum Media submitted article series, where diverse viewpoints spark thought-provoking conversations about the role of PR and communications in today's world. This Perspectives piece was submitted by Brian Keenan, International Head of Insights & Analytics at WE Communications.

I have an ongoing debate with industry peers. One side says the world today is more volatile and polarised than previous generations, largely due to the unexpected impact of social media and artificial intelligence.

The other side of the debate says every generation feels this way. The wheel, the printing press, the automobile, the computer - all were the “AI of their day”, ground-breaking technologies that upended the global status quo.

We may never resolve our debate (we are a stubborn bunch), but one point we do agree on is that early adopters of new technologies, processes and ways of working often survive and thrive.

In WE Communications’ new "The Future of Communications" report, we explore this first-mover advantage across seven areas: brand storytelling, thought leadership, earned media, social platforms, digital marketing / influencers, reaching Gen Z and Gen A and of course, artificial intelligence.

What does the future of communications hold? Here are six first-mover predictions based on our research:

1) You will be surprised by how much news you read, hear and watch will be AI-generated by the end of 2025
With eight in 10 global journalists saying they expect an increase in the use of AI in their newsrooms, many are already adopting advanced AI tools for operational needs like automated fact-checking, real-time translation, data visualisation and personalised news content delivery.

In APAC, some media houses are pushing the boundaries even further, by “hiring” AI-generated writers, creating virtual anchors and cloning radio DJs to meet the demands of the 24-hour news cycle and demand for content.

For example, the DD Kisan channel in India has AI-generated "anchors" providing vital updates to farmers in Hindi and 50 other languages to increase information accessibility across the market. Some broadcasters such as Taiwan’s FTV News and Indonesia’s tvOne have created AI versions of their real news anchors to share the load.

The counterbalance to this innovation is the potential threat to media trust and misinformation fears. With 70 per cent of surveyed news publishers globally afraid that AI will lower trust in news, the challenge to maintain public confidence in the media will intensify. News organisations will be assessing how to transparently disclose AI's role in their work and how to strengthen high-quality, independent journalism to safeguard trust.

2) Social media journalists will gain as much influence and even credibility as traditional media
In a global first, more than 200 social content producers were credentialed alongside traditional media for the Democratic National Convention in the United States. Meanwhile, people in every demographic, particularly Gen Z, are increasingly turning to social spaces for news and subject matter expertise. For example, one-third of adults globally under 30 regularly use TikTok (where it’s available) as a news source, a 255 per cent increase since 2020 that has now overtaken X.

While lacking formal expertise, armchair “social journalists”, like Dylan Page, will increasingly shape public opinion and discourse due to their large audiences and persuasive storytelling. Social-born media publications, like MustShareNews in Singapore, will grow in importance for brands to consider as earned and paid media partners.

Cutting-edge media strategists will be evolving their targeting to prepare for and leverage this new era of social journalism.

3) The most talked about ESG campaign of 2025 will abandon the standard heartfelt, emotional appeal completely
ESG or purpose marketing was once again on display this award season, with 66 per cent of Grand Prix or Titanium Award winners at Cannes Lion containing a purposeful brand action, up four per cent from 2023. While the status quo for most ESG campaigns is using heartfelt sincerity - either joy or celebration of achievement, or a serious expression of shame or anger for non-progress - the most interesting recent campaigns use humour, surprise or unexpected mediums to report typically quite technical progress. Think about Apple’s “Mother Nature” video on environmental sustainability progress or MTR Hong Kong’s “Oh My Green!” series that talks about their sustainability upgrades.

With how positive the response was to this tonal shift, I'd expect intrepid marketers to lean into new areas to convey climate or social impact messages, like awkwardness, horror, nostalgia or anxiety. Anything entirely unexpected in tone and style to break through the wallpaper of countless ESG storytelling.

4) Gaming platforms will become the new, dominant social sphere
Gen Z is already moving away from broad social networks, like Facebook, towards more niche, community-driven spaces, such as Discord or vertical networks that cater to specific interests, such as Strava for runners, Letterboxd for film enthusiasts and Twitch for gamers. The expansion of Discord’s reach from gamers to 80 per cent of their users coming from other niche communities is indicative of this movement.

As Gen Alpha comes of age in the next five to ten years, we will see a further revolution of immersive, creative gaming platforms, further pushing social and content creation networks aside. Gen Alpha's use of traditional social media platforms has reportedly declined by an average of eight per cent over the past 12 months, with a shift towards gaming platforms for socialising instead. According to recent Pew data, half (50 per cent) of teens now game to socialise with friends and 46 per cent game because it makes them feel more connected.

In response, we already see several youth-focused brands like Lego, Nike and Chipotle, entering gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite to engage socially with their audiences through immersive brand experiences focused on connection and creativity. As Gen Alpha become the tastemakers and business decision-makers of the future, a broader swathe of brands will need to meet them in their unique virtual spaces.

5) Leading global brands will dedicate over one third of their budgets to hyperlocal communications by 2030
In a region as diverse as APAC, with its myriads of cultures, languages and local nuances, the ability to craft stories and content that resonate on a local level without compromising global brand consistency is particularly prevalent. This change reflects a broader understanding that APAC audiences crave personalisation and content that speaks to their specific experiences, community and cultural context.

Lifestyle and consumer brands are further along on this journey to hyperlocal. Just look at Grab’s cultural moment engagement across key SEA markets or Maggi’s nuanced “Mother’s Love” activations across different regions of India. That said, the Head of Comms for APJ at Cisco, one of the largest tech companies in the world, employs a 30/70 global-to-local content split in its brand strategy to ensure local nuance and campaign relevancy for audiences down to a country level far beyond just “localisation”.

In the future, we will likely see every multi-national B2C and B2B brand employing a similar split to unlock the power of deeply personal, local insights-driven content in an increasingly globalised, disconnected world.

6) AI will be the core mechanic for most award submissions to Cannes Lions and Spikes Asia by 2030
The percentage of submissions that mention the use of AI has jumped from 3.7 per cent in 2022 to 12 per cent in 2024. Some examples:

• Orange's “WoMen's Football” campaign in France, winner of the Entertainment for Sport Grand Prix at Cannes Lion, used AI deepfake technology to address sexism in soccer
• Toys "R" Us telling the origin story of its mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe using OpenAI's text-to-video AI tool Sora
• Mercado Libre's “Handshake Hunt” in Argentina using AI analytics and automation to identify handshakes appearing on-screen to generate product deal

We predict that AI will become so ubiquitous across the industry that competitive campaigns will almost be forced to leverage the technology to satisfy new benchmarks for personalisation, dynamic content, intelligent targeting and other drivers of campaign success.

In summary: Those who engage in early adoption and experimentation will thrive.

So there you have it, whether it’s adjusting your media strategy to target AI-generated journos, breaking category norms with your brand stories, testing out an unorthodox social channel or going hyperlocal while peers push global narratives, the common denominator is clear: brave, first mover brands will win in the future of our industry where change is the only constant.

WE’s Future of Communications covers more trends for 2025 and beyond. Find out more here.