Why public sector teams shouldn't be shying away from AI

I know it, you know it. Public sector comms, marketing, insights and customer service teams are expected to do more with less, every. Single. Day. And, in this environment, it’s really no surprise that conversations about AI are no longer confined to tech teams. It’s becoming something that we see every day across social media, it’s in every comms conference and it’s talked about in every leadership meeting. Yet, for many public sector professionals, the reaction is still a mix of intrigue and hesitation. And to be honest, I get it.

As a content person myself, I get that all this AI chat can really start to feel like your job could easily become an “AI prompter” if you’re not careful, and it really can feel like the question “if AI takes over, what happens to my role?” is valid. We are naturally curious and creative at heart, so inputting thoughts and ideas into a machine just doesn’t seem right. And, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be absolutely sick of seeing “AI slop” all over your social feeds. It’s normal to feel a little bit put out.

It is also completely understandable to be cautious. In the public sector, the stakes are extremely high. You are dealing with safeguarding concerns, crisis management, and vulnerable citizens who need real support, so using something like AI, that isn’t human, to help with these issues, seems counter intuitive.

However, that being said, I am here to tell you that shying away from AI isn’t the answer. The goal shouldn’t be to avoid the technology, but to understand exactly where it adds value, where its boundaries lie, and how it can actually make you and your team seem more human.

Let’s be honest here – there is a common misconception across the board that AI is some sort of “miracle fix” that can automate entire roles or pump out endless streams of content. But really, this narrative does a massive disservice to what the technology can actually offer us.

The data shows that public sector teams are facing a huge squeeze right now. According to the CIPR and PRCA Workplace Mental Wellbeing Audit, a staggering 58% of communications professionals cite an overwhelming workload as their primary source of workplace stress, with a massive 91% experiencing periods of poor mental health.

The good news here is that when used correctly, AI isn’t an automated replacement for a communicator. It can be a really good thinking partner that will help to take away some of that daily stress that comes with an impossible to-do list.

Most people look at Generative AI purely as a tool for writing. While it is excellent at helping you overcome the pressure of the blank page (by drafting initial outlines or tweaking copy for different social platforms) its real power lies in helping you work smarter, not harder.

Not only is AI brilliant for the day-to-day writing and idea generation, but it can also interpret massive amounts of data, like community feedback or consultation responses, and help you decide what to do next. This allows teams to stop drowning in the relentless, exhausting cycle of posting, and start focusing on understanding what their community actually needs from them.

It can also help you brief external agencies, put together drafts for event plans, and help you ‘tidy the messy middle’ when it comes to campaign planning. Our blog where our Head of Customer Success, Sarah Bate, sat down with our Chief Technology Officer, Hardeep Johal, and our Head of Value Delivery, Rosie Knight, dives into this in more detail, and I’d highly recommend giving it a read for a candid chat summary.

To use AI successfully, communication officers, customer service teams, insight officers and directors have to establish clear boundaries between what can be done with technology and what must stay strictly human.

AI can easily help with the first part of the heavy lifting. By that I mean the research, the structuring, the basic drafting, the formatting, and the interpretation of data I mentioned above. But that final bit? That’s where the human element is completely non-negotiable. Only a human communicator can inject genuine empathy, local context, nuanced judgement, and public accountability.

It’s worth noting here that tools across the web are constantly scanning and automatically summarising internet data. If your team relies on unverified AI outputs without fact-checking, you risk spreading flat-out inaccuracies. AI can alert you to trends and summarise data, but a human must always hold the pen before anything goes live.

As public sector bodies, many of your organisations operate under strict Net Zero targets and sustainability promises, so it’s important to recognise that AI carries a significant, often invisible, environmental footprint. Data centres powering generative AI are incredibly resource-heavy. For example, research from the International Energy Agency shows that a request made through ChatGPT consumes 10 times the electricity of a standard Google Search, so it’s clear that public sector teams must practice digital sustainability.

We shouldn’t use AI recklessly just because we can. Leaders should encourage intentional usage and show staff that they should use it to untangle complex data or break through creative blocks, but avoid running massive prompts for tasks a human could do just as quickly.

Ultimately, using AI in public sector communications isn’t about generating twice as much content or making more noise. It is about clearing out the noise so you can focus on what actually matters.

Introducing AI to your day-to-day isn’t a threat to your value either, it’s a way to highlight it. AI can handle the bulk of the groundwork so you can deliver the nuance that makes your communications truly impactful.

By embracing AI as a thinking partner, public sector teams can transition away from the constant stress of the content treadmill and get back to what they do best: connecting meaningfully and authentically with their communities.