The inaugural PR Net Tech Demo Summit, held at the Andaz 5th Avenue on May 14th, set a new standard for innovation in communications and marketing, bringing together industry leaders to explore the transformative power of AI, data-driven storytelling, and next-generation technology platforms.
Upskilling for the Age of AI
The day began with an inspiring keynote from Aaron Kwittken, Founder and Global CEO of PRophet. In his session, “Empowering Your Team: How to Upskill for the Age of AI in Communications,” Kwittken urged communications professionals to future-proof their careers by embracing a new Human-led, AI-fed model of working. He introduced the concept of the “Communications Engineer” - a hybrid talent fluent in both data and storytelling - and challenged teams to replace instinct with insight. Kwittken highlighted the importance of not only leveraging generative AI, but also harnessing predictive and prescriptive AI to forecast media outcomes, test messaging, and track performance in real time. His actionable frameworks and call for industry-wide upskilling set a dynamic tone for the summit.
Unifying Campaign Planning for Modern Marketers
Erynn Baird, Head of Marketing at Opal, joined by Jessica Padula, VP of Marketing & Sustainability at Nespresso, demonstrated how the Opal platform is revolutionizing campaign planning for leading brands. In their session, “From Siloed to Synchronized: Connecting Teams for Campaign Planning,” Baird emphasized that marketing is inherently visual, experiential, and strategic—far beyond what traditional project management tools can support. Opal’s holistic platform provides high-level storytelling visibility, enabling teams to track progress, align on campaign direction, and unify previously siloed departments. The discussion addressed the critical need for a single source of truth in marketing, warning that a lack of alignment and visibility can erode credibility with decision-makers.
Converging Affiliate, PR, and Influencer for Measurable Growth
Courtney Vanpraag, Affiliate Coach at impact.com, explored the convergence of affiliate marketing, PR, and influencer partnerships in her session, “Where Affiliate, PR, and Influencer Converge for Growth.” Vanpraag demonstrated how affiliate marketing has become a foundational technology for omnichannel strategies, enabling brands to reach consumers across platforms like Reddit and Substack. She showcased impact.com’s capabilities for PR professionals, from securing placements in gift guides to tracking earned media performance and quantifying ROI. Her insights reinforced the importance of uniting teams and using data to clearly demonstrate PR’s value within broader marketing strategies.
The Rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Mirza Germovic, SVP, Global AI & Product at Edelman, introduced attendees to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), a cutting-edge approach to brand visibility in the era of AI-powered search. As consumers increasingly turn to AI platforms like ChatGPT and Copilot, GEO is emerging as a vital complement to traditional SEO. Germovic revealed Edelman’s new GEO solution, designed to help brands not only remain discoverable but also shape how they are represented in AI-generated results—a communications challenge as much as a technical one.
OpenAI at Work: The New Standard for Enterprise Performance
The summit concluded with a session from Erica Vlahinos, GTM Director at OpenAI, who spotlighted ChatGPT’s transformative role across the enterprise landscape. With 92% of Fortune 500 companies now leveraging OpenAI tools, ChatGPT has become an essential driver of business productivity. Vlahinos shared striking results: employees leveraging ChatGPT complete work 25% faster and produce outputs that are 40% higher in quality.
In a live demonstration, Vlahinos walked the audience through a day in the life of the future marketing professional. The end-to-end, AI-enabled workflow went through: brainstorming and ideation, deep research, drafting and editing brand-aligned content, generating both templated and original images, analyzing data to identify actionable insights for future campaigns, and finally, how non-technical users can now stand up prototypes of interactive content without having to write a single line of code.
As Vlahinos emphasized, "This is a moment of great opportunity. From the macro, of nations striving to build AI-literate populations to boost GDP, all the way down to micro, of individuals translating AI fluency into accelerated career opportunities. Enjoy every minute of this moment in history."
The Tech Demo Summit concluded with a shared vision: the future of communications is collaborative, data-driven, and powered by both human creativity and AI innovation.
To watch recordings of each presentation, please visit the link HERE.
