AI Is a Tool, Channel, and Leadership Competency

AI is no longer just a productivity tool. It is a channel, a leadership competency, and a pressure test on whether your story holds up across every part of your brand. Steve Halsey sits down with Hailey Driscoll, SVP of PR and Managing Director, Boston at Walker Sands, and Jon Woods, partner at Ground Floor Media, to unpack what is actually working in AI adoption and where leaders are getting stuck. The conversation builds on insights from the first PROI Americas AI Summit, where agency leaders from across the region came together to compare notes on what is real and what is hype. They get into the messy middle of AI maturity, why fixating on efficiency leaves real value on the table, and how AI is reshaping brand visibility through generative search and the emerging discipline of story hygiene. The episode closes with practical advice on staying curious in a constantly shifting landscape and the case for treating AI adoption as an organizational leadership decision, not just a tech project. In this episode: • Why fixating on AI as an efficiency tool is leaving the real value on the table • How AI is becoming a marketing channel through generative search and what GEO means for brand visibility • Why story hygiene is now a foundational comms discipline • What CCOs and CMOs should be building before they scale AI across their teams 0:00 – Intro hook: Are you leading or reacting to AI? 0:42 – Welcome & episode overview 3:33 – The PROI Americas AI Summit recap 5:40 – Guest introductions 8:15 – Biggest AI misconceptions & blind spots in comms 12:35 – The 3 layers of AI value 18:16 – AI competency vs. relevancy 28:39 – AI as a marketing channel 36:52 – brand narrative matters more than ever 41:06 – avoid getting overwhelmed by AI 44:20 – What would you tell yourself about AI?