The impact of the industrial revolution on agriculture provides a useful framework for thinking about how AI is reshaping communication opportunities in higher education. Manual laborers often picked the crops. Then the tractor came. Many of these people have changed their careers to focus on operating and managing equipment.
Similarly, communication in higher education requires a new way of thinking and doing. AI is moving fast, affecting every corner of the institution and creating opportunities for communication that did not exist before.
Critical to seizing those opportunities is how institutions communicate their AI plans, policies and culture to internal audiences with diverse perspectives on AI. An attractive website is a useful starting point. Using Google’s deep research tool, I did the latest analysis US News & World Report rankings and found that 86 percent of top-ranked US universities have a dedicated AI website.
The quality and depth of content on these websites varies greatly. Some serve primarily as policy repositories, but the WashU and Duke’s AI websites go beyond simply presenting top-down rules. Both institutions use clear language while providing practical tools and resources. Users are invited to contribute their knowledge, which positions AI as a shared, dynamic institutional capability created by society.
Universities must convey a clear message: AI must be used responsibly, as its use is different in every situation. According to Andrew Park, associate vice provost for academic communications, Duke provides broad access to AI tools, models and training so people can learn and make informed decisions.
Communication must also be flexible in a rapidly changing environment.
“The appropriate policies for the fall of 2025, before the expansion of the Claude Code, for example, will differ from the appropriate procedures today,” said Peter Boumgarden, Professor of Koch Family Practice in Family Enterprise at Washington University in St. “It is important that universities establish appropriate governance structures and acknowledge that any institutional structure is likely to develop in a more general way than many of us are used to.”
Communicating with AI effectively requires expertise that most institutional leaders lack. This is among the factors that have led to a recent increase in universities hiring dedicated AI communication strategists.
Duke has established a dedicated AI communications role, with Alainna Liloia helping to shape the institution’s voice on AI and overseeing various digital channels that have seen strong engagement. Alainna’s ability to use communication work across Duke’s schools and units has been instrumental in bringing together diverse perspectives on campus, according to Park.
Communicators who don’t have “AI” in their job title have an important new role to play: equipping their colleagues with the ability to innovate their AI communication strategies.
Traditionally, only the highest levels of university officials, such as the president, would have their own dedicated communications assistant. Now, any member of the university can be supported by AI-powered communication assistants who perform many tasks such as copywriting, supporting visuals, monitoring media coverage, reusing materials across channels and producing targeted messages for audiences. These assistants can support schools, departments, initiatives and individuals.
Their effectiveness, however, depends entirely on the quality of the instructions, the source material and the information behind it. The foundation of such programs is a strong communication strategy.
This is where experienced communicators come in: to help people determine clear goals, identify the right audience and explain key messages, using tone and language that will resonate. It also involves teaching by giving partners a practical understanding of available channels and how AI can provide ongoing support (such as scheduled tasks, content calendars and automated distribution workflows).
I recently worked on this process with a professor. We addressed a set of structured questions to gain clarity about his expertise, core audience, key messages and desired product features. Based on these conversations and specific instructions, the AI wrote a full communication strategy. We never treat that draft as the final word. We brought our own ideas and judgment to refine it, making sure the strategy reflected his voice and priorities.
From there, we discussed the communication tools available to him and the specific ways AI can support each. One task, for example, involved taking his written articles and generating LinkedIn content from them—a process organized through a dedicated project. The other, tied to its goal of obtaining speaking engagements, involved systematic research work on the people it could reach.
The final product includes a communications strategy and a set of instructions copied from his AI project. It provided clarity and a way to achieve the stated goals. More importantly, he gained valuable communication skills and an understanding of how to use AI proactively to save time and expand the reach of his work.
Imagine every member of the president’s cabinet—the secretaries, the professors and all the important leaders of the institutions—using this system. Just as the tractor changed what a single farmer could harvest, AI can increase what everyone is capable of, each working with their own unique strategy to move the needle on their individual and institutional goals.
The challenge is not just using the technology; it helps people to use it efficiently. Human relations strategists can be the backbone of making it all work.
