None of my many Ukrainian friends have mentioned the polo shirt (it's a long train ride, best done in comfort). Lots have said positive things about Andy playing the guitar with Ukrainian soldiers. In contrast the out of touch UK media has criticised both.

I will be speaking at the PRCA UK and PA Conference on 16 September, delivering a keynote presentation on Maintaining Excellence When AI is a Stakeholder.

Stuart Bruce to speak about AI as a stakeholder at The PRCA UK and PA

Asking what excellence actually looks like in practise, the annual PRCA UK and PA Conference will return on 16 September at One Wimpole street. With an agenda focusing on expert sessions and candid

sbpr.cc

A German court has ruled that Google is directly liable for false claims in AI generated overviews. See how this is important in proving the concept of AI as a stakeholder in the new issue of PR Futurist

GEO measurement guide, investment using AI and visualise your work life with Copilot

Comms lessons from Andy Burnham, new PRCA GEO guide and legal realities of AI

substack.com

The PRCA reported that PR makes a £7.1 billion contribution to the UK economy This provides a stronger foundation for positioning PR closer to management and corporate decision making and strengthens the case that comms is an essential business capability that helps organisations earn.

GEO measurement guide, investment using AI and visualise your work life with Copilot

Comms lessons from Andy Burnham, new PRCA GEO guide and legal realities of AI

substack.com

A new GEO report from Burson states AI search being believed is more important than being seen, and racing to improve visibility is not enough. This chimes with our AI as a stakeholder concept, and with AMEC's GEO principles and the PRCAs new guide to GEO metrics. Read more in PR Futurist -

GEO measurement guide, investment using AI and visualise your work life with Copilot

Comms lessons from Andy Burnham, new PRCA GEO guide and legal realities of AI

substack.com

PwC's 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer reveals Ai is creating a two-trick labour market where skills like judgement and leadership are critical - compressing the career ladder faster than most organisations are redesigning it. Read more in the latest issue of the PR Futurist newletter -

GEO measurement guide, investment using AI and visualise your work life with Copilot

Comms lessons from Andy Burnham, new PRCA GEO guide and legal realities of AI

substack.com

The Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app now lets you record meetings, voice notes and conversations. Copilot automatically transcribes the recording, generates a transcript and creates a summary. It is Frontier mode only but is meant to have general availability in Aug and Sept.

Parts of the EU AI Act came into force yesterday. But the bigger issue is the AI adoption illusion: believing AI licences create transformation. Has your organisation moved beyond experimentation to real value?

The EU AI Act is live. Most PR and comms teams are not.

Transparency disclosure: No need as human checked by me! Generated by M365 Copilot from this article. On Sunday 2 August the EU AI Act's transparency rules became enforceable, along with the

sbpr.cc

The PRCA' s innovation group just published 'how to measure GEO: A practical guide for PR and Communications' which I co-authored. On Wednesday 22nd July the PRCA will be hosting a webinar to introduce and answer questions on this guide. Join us for the free webinar -

How to Measure GEO: A Practical Guide for PR and Communications | PRCA Global

Join the PRCA AI Innovation Group, led by Anna Wilson and Jonny Bentwood, as they talk through the Practical Guide for PR and Communications.

prca.global

Politics over policy? Join us at 12.30 on 20 July for a webinar on Burnham’s broadcast media profile up to the Makerfield by-election. This will interest communicators, campaigners, political staffers, public affairs, and media analysts/ researchers. events.teams.microsoft.com/event/96e17a...

Today is the start of Microsoft's Great Copilot Journey. It's designed to instil curiosity and confidence in new AI users with a series of five incredibly simple prompts to encourage people to use Copilot. It's an idea we use with clients to make AI use a regular habit with a Prompt of the Day.

Humbled and excited to be listed in the PRovoke Media 2026 Innovator 25 for EMEA list of 25 communications professionals across Europe, the Middle East and Africa who are helping shape the future of the industry.

Innovator 25: Communications Leaders Shaping The Future Across EMEA In 2026 | Stuart Bruce

Humbled and excited to be listed in the PRovoke Media 2026 Innovator 25 for EMEA list of 25 communications professionals across Europe, the Middle East and Africa who are helping shape the future of the industry. It recognises "communications professionals who are challenging established thinking, embracing new approaches and helping organisations navigate an increasingly complex environment." "Few communications professionals have spent longer thinking about the future of the profession than Stuart Bruce. Known to many as "The PR Futurist", Bruce has built a career around helping organisations understand and adapt to the forces reshaping communications, from measurement and social media to artificial intelligence. "Today, through Purposeful Relations, Bruce advises communications teams and agencies on innovation, transformation and AI adoption." Others listed include: Comms Rebel Advita Patel; Tangerine's Anna Rashid; Paul Stollery, co-founder of Hard Numbers; Dr. Peter Klomp, head of advocacy and campaigns at UEFA; Ishtar Schneider, global external comms...

linkedin.com

I've a comment piece in today's PRWeek (£) on Andy Burnham's excellent communication skills.

Why Andy Burnham is a prime comms operator

Today, Andy Burnham is lauded as an excellent communicator and a natural on social media, in stark contrast to Keir Starmer. It wasn’t always so.

prweek.co.uk

The UK's productivity is f****d because of s**t Internet access. Trying to get up to speed on Microsoft's AI announcements at Build, but virtually no connectivity on train between Leeds and Edinburgh. Doesn't matter how good AI is if we can't use it (or anything that needs the cloud).

The UK's productivity is f****d because of s**t Internet access. Trying to get up to speed on Microsoft's AI announcements at Build, but virtually no connectivity on train between Leeds and Edinburgh. Doesn't matter how good AI is if we can't use it (or anything that needs the cloud).

Classic example of how overly restrictive many planning regulations are. It might not be "in keeping" with the area, but when it improves it why should that matter? Wakefield gorilla statue must be removed, council says www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wakefield gorilla statue must be removed, council says

Adele Teale is told the 4ft gorilla statue on her house in Wakefield must come down.

bbc.co.uk

The latest issue of PR Futurist is out. Stories include AI conversations in Davos, PRWeek Top 150 survey reveals AI is top skill need, Singapore minister's AI second brain, world's biggest Copilot deployment, top law firm slammed for incompetent use of AI.

AI tops the agenda in Davos

PRWeek research reveals AI is also the top priority for PR agencies

open.substack.com

Next week the Purposeful Relations team is at The Trampery in London where I'll co-present with @timbaileypr.bsky.social at @prca-hq.bsky.social NewBizFest. We'll take PR and comms agency leaders through the opportunities and risks of GEO, AEO and AI as a stakeholder. www.prca.global/events/prca-...

There's still time to register for today's AI as a stakeholder Vuelio webinar at 2pm with Professor Anne Gregory and me. Let me know if you have questions you'd like us to cover.

AI as a stakeholder webinar with Professor Anne Gregory

Professor Anne Gregory, Professor Emeritus of Corporate Communication at the University of Huddersfield, and Stuart Bruce, the PR Futurist and co-CEO of Purposeful Relations are the expert panellists

purposefulrelations.com

The latest PR Futurist is out. It is now on Substack (after technical glitches with our former platform). Let me know what you think. If you're not already a subscriber please subscribe today. stuartbruce.substack.com/?utm_source=...

Thanks to Chris Burn and the Yorkshire Post for a great piece of coverage about me speaking about AI as a stakeholder at the Davos Communications Summit later this month.

AI 'should be treated as business stakeholder', Leeds PR adviser to argue at Davos event

A Leeds PR adviser is to argue at Davos that companies must change their mindset on AI and manage it as a ‘stakeholder’.

yorkshirepost.co.uk

Yorkshire PR and AI expert to speak at the Davos Communications Summit.

Yorkshire PR and AI expert to speak at Davos Communications Summit | Growth Yorkshire | Business News

Stuart Bruce, co-CEO of Leeds-based consultancy Purposeful Relations and a recognised authority on AI and communications strategy, will address the Davos Communications Summit on 23–24 April to make the case that businesses must stop treating artificial intelligence as a tool and start managing it as a stakeholder.

growthyorkshire.co.uk

It's the countdown to the Davos Communications Summit 2026. Can't wait for the networking and learning from the expert speakers. I'll be speaking about "Can you measure trust in an AI world?" where I'll be alongside Catherine Blades, Iryna Zolotarevych, Stephen Hahn-Griffiths and Andre Williams.

Great article in @tomwatsonofficial.bsky.social latest Substack newsletter about how MPs and Lords are making decisions late at night and how lack of sleep impacts on the legislative process.

Are MPs too knackered to legislate?

MPs and Peers are making national decisions on chronic sleep deprivation

tomwatsonofficial.substack.com

Quick update on the week as I get the 5:45am train to London for the day to discuss AI as a stakeholder (or GEO/AEO in a more simplistic way). Back to Leeds this evening to talk about business and growth in the North and how AI adoption can help fuel it.

Quick update from The P World AI in Comms Boot Camp in Zurich.

Gartner predicts PR budgets will increase two-fold by 2027. It's because of AI answers replacing search - GEO or AEO. I've unpacked and analysed this and Gartner's other four predictions in this long read article.

Gartner predicts PR budgets will increase 2x by 2027 | Stuart Bruce

Source: Gartner Gartner predicts a two‑fold increase in PR and earned media budgets by 2027 as AI answer engines replace traditional search. Exciting news for the public relations and communications i

stuartbruce.biz

At last West Yorkshire is getting its own version of The Mill, The Tribue, and The Post from Mill Media. They are the real news newsletters that have taken Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool by storm. If you value real regional news then pledge your support now.

Join The Mill - Quality journalism for Greater Manchester

The Mill produces local journalism that is both informative and enjoyable to read — including investigations, culture pieces and opinionated columns about Manchester's biggest talking points.

leeds.ghost.io

LinkedIn has just released its annual list of Jobs on the Rise in Leeds, ranking the area's 10 fastest-growing jobs. The good news is that 'Founder' is second which could indicate a growing economy. The bad news is founders are 68% male and just 32% female.

LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2026: The 10 fastest-growing roles in Leeds

See the most in-demand roles in Leeds on LinkedIn's data-backed ranking of the 10 fastest-growing job titles

linkedin.com

Great to see the Samaritans at Wakefield Westgate for Brew Monday reminding everyone to talk, share and listen. And they gave me a Tunnock's Wafer which certainly brightened my Monday.