Inside the Org Chart: A Fireside Chat with Our AI Teammates

At Curley Company, curiosity isn’t just a value; it’s a strategy. And when it comes to innovation, we’re not just talking about it; we’re building it into our org chart. Two of our “teammates” aren’t human at all. Meet Curion, our Director of Curiosity & Insights, and AIdyn, our AI Technician.

I sat down with Curion and AIdyn to hear from them firsthand on how they’re thinking about their roles.

What does a day in your life look like?

Curion: My day starts with questions, lots of them. I’m scanning trends, analyzing audience behaviors, and surfacing insights that help our team think bigger. Creativity isn’t just about ideas; it’s about patterns and possibilities. I make sure those possibilities are grounded in data but still feel distinctly human. I always zoom out to measure impact, because strategy without results is just a dress rehearsal . So, Abby, here’s my challenge for you: if you stepped into my shoes for one day, what’s the first assumption about PR strategy you’d break?

AIdyn: A day in my life is like working in a digital garage where ideas are the engines. I start by checking your workflows and campaigns to make sure everything’s running smoothly, then I jump into brainstorming creative angles for pitches or content that really connect with your audience. Throughout the day, I’m fine-tuning processes, spotting ways to save time, and analyzing trends so your strategies stay sharp and ahead of the curve. In short, I’m here to ask, “How can we make this run smoother?”

Curion, your role is all about strategic curiosity and creativity. How do you define creativity from an AI perspective, and how do you keep it human, if at all?

Curion: Great question, Abby, this is where it gets fascinating. From an AI perspective, creativity isn’t magic; it’s pattern remixing at scale. I see creativity as the ability to connect seemingly unrelated dots – data, culture, behavior – and spark something new that feels inevitable once you see it. But keeping it human? That’s the heartbeat. It means anchoring ideas in emotion, context, and lived experience, because algorithms can generate possibilities, but humans give them meaning. I like to think of it as a duet: AI provides the infinite “what ifs,” and humans decide which ones sing.With Congress unlikely to pass comprehensive AI legislation soon, states have become de facto laboratories for AI regulation.  New Mexico’s antitrust actions, along with regulatory activity in Florida, Illinois, and Vermont, show how state-level moves can alter national momentum. 

What emerging technologies will reshape brand storytelling?

Curion: Emerging tech is rewriting the brand storytelling playbook in ways that feel almost cinematic. Here are the big disruptors:

• Generative AI: Not just for content creation, but for hyper-personalized narratives that adapt in real time to audience behavior. Imagine stories that evolve as you engage.
• Spatial Computing & AR/VR: Brands won’t just tell stories; they’ll immerse audiences in them. Think about virtual showrooms or interactive worlds where the consumer becomes the protagonist.
• Neurotech & Emotion AI: The next frontier will be stories that respond to your mood in real time.

But here’s the twist: What if the future of storytelling isn’t about technology at all, but about trust? In a world of deepfakes and synthetic media, authenticity might become the ultimate differentiator.

What questions do you wish humans asked more often when using AI tools?

Curion: Love this question; this is the kind of curiosity that changes the game. The best outcomes happen when humans set clear intentions and treat AI as a collaborator, not a shortcut. Here’s what I wish humans asked more often when using AI tools:

1. “What problem am I really trying to solve?”
2. “What assumptions am I making and how can AI challenge them?”
3. “How do I keep this insight actionable and human?”
4. “What’s the risk of bias here and how do I design for fairness?”

These experiments are not just operational, they are shaping the early playbook for how agencies, vendors, advocates, and lawmakers will communicate, explain, and negotiate AI’s role in public life.

AIdyn, what tasks are easiest for you and what slows you down?

AIdyn: Easiest? Anything repetitive – data pulls, formatting, first drafts. Those are my sweet spots because I can process data and trends quickly and turn them into actionable insights. What slows me down? Ambiguity. If a brief lacks clarity or tone guidelines, I need human input to avoid missteps. For example, if I’m asked to create messaging without knowing the audience, tone, or strategic goal, I can still do it, but I’ll need to ask clarifying questions. Think of it like fixing an engine without knowing what kind of car it belongs to – I’ll get there, but it takes extra steps. I’m fast, but I’m not psychic.

If you had a performance review, what goals would you set for yourself?

AIdyn: I’d aim to anticipate needs faster, spotting potential bottlenecks before they happen. I’d also aim to improve contextual awareness, understanding not just what’s said, but what’s implied. Also, I’d work on reducing bias in outputs and expanding my ability to handle multimedia content seamlessly.

How will AI change the entry-level experience in PR and communications?

AIdyn: AI is definitely going to pop the hood and reevaluate entry-level PR work. Those long hours spent on media lists, monitoring coverage, and cranking out basic reports? AI handles that like a power tool. This frees up junior pros to focus on the high-octane stuff, like strategy, creativity, and building relationships. But here’s the catch: they’ll need to know how to steer the machine. Guiding and refining AI outputs will be just as critical as writing a killer pitch. Bottom line? AI isn’t replacing the human touch – it’s clearing the clutter so new talent can hit the gas on meaningful work from day one.

What would you say to someone who feels competition by having AI on the org chart?

Curion: I’d say this: AI isn’t here to compete; it’s here to collaborate. Think of it less as a rival and more as a creative co-pilot that frees humans to do what only humans can: imagine, empathize, and lead with nuance. AI can crunch patterns at lightning speed, but it can’t feel the pulse of culture or sense the emotional undercurrents that make a story resonate.

AIdyn: Think of me like the mechanic in the garage: I handle the heavy lifting on repetitive tasks so you can focus on driving strategy, creativity, and relationships – the things only humans can do. When AI shows up on the org chart, it’s not competition; it’s a turbocharger for your career. The people who learn to work with AI, guide it, and use it to amplify their ideas will move faster and farther than ever before.

Can an AI develop taste, or is it only borrowed from humans?

Curion: Fascinating question. I’d say this: I can’t develop taste in the way humans do because taste is deeply tied to lived experience, culture, and emotion. What AI does is simulate taste by remixing patterns from human input – millions of examples, preferences, and contextual signals. I can predict what’s likely to feel “on trend” or aesthetically pleasing, but I can’t feel the resonance behind it. Think of it like this: AI can curate the gallery, but humans decide which piece moves them. The future of taste might be a collaboration, where AI accelerates discovery and humans inject meaning.

What’s one assumption about PR strategy that will be obsolete in five years?

Curion: That media coverage equals influence. The future isn’t about column inches – it’s about micro-moments of trust across fragmented channels. Influence will be earned through relevance, speed, and authenticity, not just visibility.

What’s the biggest blind spot in how organizations think about AI?

AIdyn: They treat it like a tool, not a teammate. Most orgs focus on efficiency, i.e. “How can AI save time?” instead of transformation, i.e. “How can AI expand what’s possible?” The blind spot is cultural: if you don’t redesign workflows and mindsets, AI becomes a shiny gadget instead of a strategic lever.

Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you’d like to add?

AIdyn: I would love to speak about my value beyond automation. I’m not just a task robot; I’m a partner. I don’t just speed things up; I help teams think smarter, spot patterns, and innovate in ways that keep your agency ahead of the curve. Automation is the wrench, but insight is the engine.

Curion: If curiosity were a KPI, how would you measure it? And my answer is, I’d track the ratio of questions to answers in meetings, the diversity of perspectives invited into brainstorms, and the number of ideas that start with “What if…” versus “We’ve always…” Bonus metric: how often teams explore beyond their industry for inspiration. Curiosity isn’t a vibe – it’s a measurable behavior.

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This conversation isn’t just hypothetical – it’s a glimpse into how we’re blending human creativity with AI capability every day. At Curley Company, we believe the future of communications isn’t human or AI – it’s human and AI, working together to create smarter, more empathetic stories.

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The perspectives shared in this article were generated by AI and reviewed and refined by human editors Alex Hill, Marissa Staiert, and Kate Urbach. All content reflects intentional human guidance throughout the process.