(MENAFN- PRovoke) Nearly a dozen leaders across a wide range of industry sectors gathered for a roundtable discussion with Paul Holmes at the PRovoke Global Summit 2025 in Chicago to talk about how the function is standing up to challenges posed by economic uncertainty, political polarization, and new technologies. The discussion honored the Chatham House rule so that executives could speak more freely. Here are five takeaways they offered from their experiences:

1. The scope of the CCO's job is radically expanding.

As all kinds of companies struggle to address the radical transformation they are facing with the growth of AI, one executive described the CCO role as“a function in chaos.” That's because communications leaders“always had a challenge putting the life mask on our own function first because we're so busy helping every business partner.”

Through this change, many CCOs are finding themselves navigating far more responsibility. They are overseeing legal and regulatory issues, change management and even taking on financial management roles. They also often see companies' problems coming up and“where the trains are about to collide” well ahead of their colleagues because their work intersects with so many departments.

“We are now business leaders that happen to communicate to a variety of stakeholders,” said one executive. Sometimes that means success is best measured in terms of what doesn't happen. One executive partners with legal to send notes to the CEO saying“Hey, this is what didn't happen. This is what we were successful and doing.” Documenting all of these efforts seems to help.“I think if you build up that respect for what you do and how you manage those things, it does have an impact.”

2. Traditional media is No Longer All-Powerful, But It Can Still Set the Agenda

CCOs are spending far less time on landing placements in traditional news outlets.“You can spend your entire 24-7 chasing media and you will lose other important areas,” noted one executive.

One CCO's communications team, which used to devote 90% of its time to traditional media a decade ago, spends about 25% or its time chasing traditional media coverage.“It's become a lot less prominent. We're creating content, we're working with influencers. That's replaced traditional media.”

Other CCOs are also concentrated on finding where they can get the best media value, whether that means getting their executives on a podcast or on YouTube.“In today's world, it's all about influence,” said one executive.

That said, CCOs agreed that there is value in telling messages in traditional media.“The media still sets an agenda on some things and is an important voice of balance.”

3. Preparing to Manage Ais Impact on the Workforce

Every company is watching how AI has affected the business world in what one executive described as“a level of downsizing we have never seen before.” In some ways it has already affected staffing for corporate communications.

One executive recently laid off“a bunch of junior people because they weren't curious about learning around AI.” The executive added,“You don't have enough skills. You need to either lean in and learn, or I'll find someone who wants to lean in and learn about a tool that frankly is good enough to do at least a junior job.”

4. CCOs are discovering how AI can help their work.

Several CCOs noted that AI has helped them quantify their contributions to their company in new ways.“AI gives us the ability to do research and testing that we never had before that our companies wouldn't spend money on.”

The need for solid data is something that every CCO seemed to agree has become even more necessary.“I think too often communicators have thrown things out based on, 'Well, I know this or my gut or this type of thing.'' said one executive.“And we do that at our peril. But I think we've really got to be so disciplined about how we present our reputations, our thinking about all of this. Because without that, we won't be taken as seriously.”

5. The are CCO Functions AI Cannot Replace

CCO jobs are unlikely to disappear entirely because of AI.“It's very easy to see AI as a productivity and efficiency tool for us, period,” said one executive.“It's harder than to move it up the value chain where things get inevitably more complicated and complex. You can't just plug into a GPT and say, 'How do we solve this investigative reporter who's been coming at me? Or how do we solve the transformation issue that we have as a company?' It still requires human experience and teamwork.”

The panel of nearly a dozen leaders included:

• Kathryn Beiser, former CCO at Eli Lilly and Company
• Russell Duber, BCG's global communications officer
• Jon Harris, chief communications and networking officer at Conagra
• Susan Howe, chief executive officer at The Weber Shandwick Collective
• Kathryn Metcalfe, CVS's former CCO
• Megan Noel, chief corporate affairs officer at Adtalem Global Education
• Chris Samuel, chief impact and corporate affairs officer of Viridian Ecosystems
• Daniel Schwarz, CCO at Jenner & Block
• Matthew Vander Laan, vice president, corporate affairs and strategic planning at MonoSol
• Kimberly Windon, vice president, strategic communications, Bridgestone Americas
• Emily York, global head of communications at Russell Reynolds Associates

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