AI’s Impact on In-house Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs – Talent, Leadership and Industry Insights from Monica Allen at Meta 

AI is transforming the way communications, marketing and public affairs teams work. But what does it mean for organisations, leaders and the future of work? In our latest series, we speak with senior leaders to explore the opportunities and challenges. In this interview Janie Emmerson, Managing Partner at Hanson Search, sat down with Monica Allen, Director of Public Policy Campaigns at Meta, to explore how AI is being adopted across in-house policy, advocacy and communications teams. Monica shares her views on AI as an enabler, the shift in agency relationships and why leaders must lead by example in experimenting with new tools. 

How are you and your policy team using AI today?

At Meta, there’s a strong push across all teams to embrace AI tools. For us, it’s become part of the day-to-day in drafting first versions of advocacy materials, policy narratives, talking points and even image generation for memes and marketing ideas. We treat AI like having an intern who helps us get past the blank sheet of paper. It’s not about producing perfect content but giving us a starting point and making ideation faster. 

Do you think AI is changing the type of people you hire or the skills you look for?

Not yet. Given that Meta is a tech company, we naturally look for people who are curious about technology and willing to experiment with new tools. The bigger focus right now is encouraging existing teams to feel comfortable using AI. We create a safe space for people to try things, knowing it won’t be perfect at first. The more familiar you get, the better you become at prompting and fine-tuning outputs. It’s about building that muscle. 

Is AI impacting how you divide work between in-house teams and external agencies?

It’s already having an effect. We’re turning less to consultancies for tasks like copywriting or basic advocacy intelligence. AI gives us a ‘good enough’ first draft that saves us time and money. That said, we still work with agencies for more specialised, hands-on advocacy execution. The relationship is shifting. Agencies are now brought in for their strategic thinking and delivery rather than the earlier ideation and content creation stages. 

Many see AI as the biggest driver of change in communications and public affairs. Do you agree?

AI has the potential to be a major driver of change, but I don’t think that change is immediate. The tools are still evolving and you need a certain level of expertise to get the most out of them. I don’t believe you can simply replace designers or content creators yet, as these tools still make mistakes that require human oversight. AI can streamline parts of the process, but we’re a long way from it being fully autonomous in creative industries. 

Have you seen different levels of AI adoption across functions?

My team, which works on policy narratives, has been early to adopt AI because we’re often the test bed for new approaches. Our policy communications colleagues, who handle the company’s external narrative, have been slower to adopt AI because the stakes are higher and the current tools aren’t reliable enough for outward-facing content. There’s also a public affairs marketing team in the US where AI is more integrated into campaign ideation, especially for billboard and Congress-focused advocacy. 

Where do you think AI could bring real change but hasn’t yet?

Grassroots advocacy is an area where AI could make a meaningful difference. In my previous work in philanthropy, we supported local advocates who often didn’t have the resources to hire agencies. AI has the potential to equip these groups with tools to develop ideas, shape narratives and run campaigns more effectively, without the need for large budgets. It’s a way of broadening access to creative and strategic support. 

What advice would you give leaders trying to embed AI in their teams?

Play with the tools yourself. Carve out time to see what they can do and understand the differences between platforms. Lead by example and show your team how you’ve used AI to save time. We set up an AI challenge within our team, testing different tools each week. It’s about demystifying AI and turning curiosity into practical knowledge. The more leaders engage with it directly, the more confident their teams will be. 

Do you have a policy for how your agencies or contractors use AI?

No formal policy at the moment. Internally, we have guidelines around what platforms can be used on company devices, but when it comes to agencies, we’re more focused on the output. Whether they use AI as part of their process isn’t an issue, as long as the final work meets our expectations. The focus should always be on the quality and impact of the creative concept, not the tool used to get there. 

Whether you’re hiring top Public Affairs talent or considering your next career move, our team would be delighted to support you.

Janie Emmerson is Managing Partner, UK & Europe and Global Public Affairs Lead.

Hanson Search is a globally recognised, award-winning talent advisory and headhunting consultancy. Our expertise lies in building successful ventures worldwide through our recruitment, interim and executive search in communications, sustainability, public affairs and policy, digital marketing, and sales.