Practitioners & Academics Converge on AI Futures | Scriptorium Initiative

As communications leaders chart a course through the rapid disruption of artificial intelligence, considering the present is no longer enough. At the Scriptorium Initiative’s inaugural conference in Amsterdam last October, senior executives were joined by leading researchers and futurists to forecast the structural shifts headed for the profession.

While practitioners grapple with immediate operational challenges, academics provide the critical frameworks needed to understand how AI is fundamentally altering human behavior, media ecosystems, and the mechanics of trust. What follows are select voices from that gathering, offering distinct insights on AI literacy, the future of content, and navigating a high-choice media environment.

Demystifying the "Black Box" of Generative AI

For comms professionals to lead effectively, they must move beyond seeing AI as a magic search engine. Yohann Nathanael John, an expert on AI's technical evolution, emphasized that establishing AI literacy is the critical first step for teams.

Yohann mapped out AI's history from early rule-based systems to the current third wave of generative AI powered by Large Language Models (LLMs). "What comms people should pay attention to is that these models are probabilistic, which means they get a sequence of words and they just predict the next word," he explained.

This understanding shifts how teams interact with the technology. Because the models predict based on context, "context affects the prediction," Yohannnoted. "Comms professionals should use that concept because it helps write more informed prompts and thereby give us better results." Before overhauling strategies, his advice to leaders is straightforward: "Get at least a foundational understanding of what's going on under the hood."

The Rise of "Liquid Content" in an AI-Mediated Ecosystem 

As human behavior becomes increasingly intertwined with technology, the entire information ecosystem is transforming. Sofie Hvitved, a futurist exploring plausible scenarios, warned that communicators are facing a shift from human-to-human communication to complex "AI-mediated" workflows.

This shift will require communicators to abandon rigid formats. She introduced the concept of "liquid content"—a move away from static articles or videos toward content that reshapes itself based on the consumer's context. "Liquid content is when content stops being something that is predefined," she explained. "We're moving into a landscape of much more dynamic communication that is hyper-personalized just to me."

Sofie also warned of the "black jellyfish" of AI—a wild card threat that organizations often overlook. While many fixate on the dangers of deepfakes or misinformation, she argues the true risk is strategic blindness. "If we miss out on innovation in this, if we miss out on preparing what is to come and to start being part of that, that is a real danger," she stated. Her advice? Start understanding the simple building blocks now, but "remember not to think that what you're seeing right now is what is to come."

Trust and the New Media Gatekeepers 

Even as the formats of communication become fluid, the fundamental currency of the profession—trust—must still be earned. Dr. Felix M. Simon detailed how audiences are navigating this "high choice media environment" where AI systems act as both creators and conduits of information.

According to Felix, people are transferring old heuristics of institutional trust to new AI players. "An AI that's well known or an AI system that comes from a well-known company and a company with a good track record might be more trusted when it comes to information than an unknown AI system," he noted.

However, his primary advice to PR professionals is not to put all their eggs in one basket. While it is crucial to build relationships with these new AI conduits, "the sort of shaping power that existing gatekeepers like the media in many countries still have, that doesn't sort of magically disappear overnight." Traditional outlets like the BBC or Der Spiegel remain highly relevant because they reach critical decision-makers and elites. "You have to build trust in those new contexts, but you also cannot cut off the old sources in which you place trust," he concluded.

Preparing for Plausible Futures 

Identifying the convergence of academic and technical insights illuminates a remarkable opportunity: communicators are poised to be the architects of the future, rather than simply waiting for the landscape to settle. CCOs and their teams can inspire their organizations toward this AI-native future by championing technical fluency, embracing dynamic content models, and forging powerful new alliances between trusted legacy media and the emerging AI gatekeepers.

About the Scriptorium Initiative The Scriptorium Initiative is a nonprofit think tank exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming the future of human communication. Through research, convenings, and collaboration, Scriptorium helps leaders understand and navigate the profound implications of AI—not just as a tool, but as a new paradigm for trust, connection, and influence. Contact or learn more at www.scriptorium-initiative.ai or connect@scriptorium-initiative.ai.