#FIRpodcast 529 has two stories with one common thread – trust. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz discuss crisis communication as governance, and how fake AI-generated “experts” are slipping into mainstream media. Plus @danyork.bsky.social’s Tech Report. 🔗 bit.ly/4rz3yL3

An audience pays attention. A community shares an interest. A fandom goes further: it becomes part of your identity. No wonder marketers want in. But can brands create and nurture fandom? @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz explore the topic in #FIRpodcast 528 🎧💻 bit.ly/4x2OCpx

"The AI made the decision, not us." You can delegate a task to AI. You cannot delegate accountability. In #FIRpodcast 527 with @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social: AI hiring, Reddit, Meta, Neutrogena, employee influencers + @danyork.bsky.social tech report. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4xaPvxc

Anthropic is watermarking text processed by Claude. Cue the AI-writing "gotchas". But a watermark can't tell us who did the thinking. In #FIRpodcast 526, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz ask a better question than "Did you use AI?" 🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-526-forg...

AI workslop isn't simply bad AI output. It can waste colleagues' time, damage trust and erode what an organisation knows to be true. In FIR 525, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I ask whether this is really an AI problem – or a leadership problem. 🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-525-the-...

Podcasting 2.0's new podcast features are about open standards, platform independence, accessibility and who controls the relationship with your audience. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz discuss the rise of the answer economy with Pete Blackshaw in a new FIR Interview. 🎧💻 bit.ly/3RdeqR4

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 @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-520-ais-...

New research extends the hostile media effect to misinformation: people believe fake news targets their side more than the other. In #FIRpodcast 519, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz look at what that means for communicators. 🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-519-is-m...

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, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz dig into Stephen Waddington's sharp provocation for the CIPR. 🔗 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-518-is-t...

Some companies spent more on AI than on the employees they replaced. Now they're walking it back, quietly. In #FIRpodcast 517, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz look at what communicators should do when a loud promise meets a messy reality. 🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-517-how-...

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

AI is restructuring the ground beneath communicators' feet! In #FIRpodcast 515, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz cover six topics, each with an uncomfortable thread. Plus @danyork.bsky.social's Tech Report on WordPress 7.0. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4v5inW2

Recording #FIRpodcast 515, the long-form episode for May. @shelholtz and I had fun with this one! Episode drops on Monday 25 May. www.firpodcastnetwork.com/for-immed…

Was Twitter a unique moment in media history rather than a repeatable model? In #FIRpodcast 514, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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 @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explore whether leaders are using AI to support decisions – or starting to defer to it. Big questions around judgement, trust, and accountability. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4n2UdJ2

Policies. Training. Guardrails. And still a major law firm filed AI-generated errors in court. In #FIRpodcast 511, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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

@shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz started 'For Immediate Release' in 2005 with curiosity, not a strategy. Blubrry have just named them their Podcaster of the Month – and their write-up tells the story rather well. 🔗 blubrry.com/podcast-insi...

Real Conversations on Communication and Tech: The FIR Podcast Network

Meet Neville and Shel, Blubrry's Podcaster of the Month. Discover how The FIR Podcast Network brings real conversations on communications and tech.

blubrry.com

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, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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 & @shelholtz.bsky.social 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

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

In #FIRpodcast 502, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz 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

AI isn’t replacing communicators – it may be increasing their value. In #FIRpodcast 501, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explore why companies are hiring “chief storytellers” – and why the shift from messaging to meaning could redefine our role. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4aUFj32

In #FIRpodcast 500, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz ask a harder question: what happens to credibility, truth and standards when ethical leadership goes quiet? 🎧💻 bit.ly/4tmraTN Thoughtful discussion welcomed.

Most crises aren’t sudden. AI, trust erosion, and compound risks expose how unprepared organisations 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