PR industry moves on AI governance as CPRA launches national working group

Communication and Public Relations Australia (CPRA) has stood up a national AI Working Group to help the communication and public relations profession respond to rapid AI adoption. The launch was first reported by Campaign Brief on 17 July, with B&T following on Monday.

The move directly follows the Australian Government's announcement of a national AI framework, which includes an Office of AI within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the development of Australian Standards for AI. Those proposed standards are expected to cover requirements for large data centres on energy, water use and location, along with stronger protections for Australian creative content and intellectual property.

CPRA chair Helen Hutchings framed AI as a leadership issue rather than a tooling one. "AI is changing how organisations communicate, how decisions are made and how people access and interpret information," she said. "Our profession has a responsibility to understand both the opportunities and the risks, and to help shape how AI is used transparently, ethically and in the public interest."

The group will be chaired by Julienne Harry, general manager of digital experience and marketing operations at Lendlease Australia, and draws members from education, government, agencies and the corporate sector. Over its 12-month term it has four stated goals: identify emerging AI risks, opportunities and trends, develop ethical AI principles and practical frameworks, recommend industry policy positions to the CPRA board, and create member resources and thought leadership tools. It will also examine AI's impact across the full career lifecycle, from student preparation through to executive decision-making.

Why it matters for Australian marketers and communicators: industry bodies are now racing to define what responsible AI practice looks like before regulators define it for them. With Canberra's self-regulation era visibly closing, frameworks written by groups like CPRA are likely to shape client expectations, agency contracts and disclosure norms well beyond the PR discipline. Comms teams that engage early will have a hand in the rules; those that wait will inherit them.

The practical output to watch is the ethical principles and framework documents due within the group's 12-month term, and whether they align with the standards emerging from the government's Office of AI process.

First published by Campaign Brief. Sources: campaignbrief.com, bandt.com.au, cpra.org.au