The AI Invasion of Internal Comms: How to Use It Without Sounding Like a Robot
- James Blair
- Aug 12
- 4 min read
Brace yourselves. AI isn’t just here to finish your sentences or randomly doodle elevator pitches. As with most areas of business, it’s quietly elbowing its way into internal comms, making things smarter, faster, and -get ready for an irony overload- more human.
Most internal comms people are pretty forward-thinking and happy to embrace new tech – it’s an essential part of a successful internal comms strategy after all – but if you are still resisting the rise of the machines, all you are doing at this stage is holding yourself and your organisation back. You are, quite literally, choosing not to use the most incredibly powerful tool whilst all your peers and rivals are reaping the benefits of doing so.
As recently reported in The Guardian, Microsoft UK’s CEO, Darren Hardman, warned that many British businesses are “stuck in neutral,” lacking formal AI strategies. According to the article:
“A Microsoft survey of nearly 1,500 UK senior leaders across public and private sectors, as well as 1,440 employees, found that more than half of executives feel their organisation has no official AI plan. Roughly the same proportion report a growing gap in productivity – a measure of economic efficiency – between employees who use AI and those who do not.”
So, let’s talk about how to welcome our new robot overlords without letting our messages out with the charm of an insurance policy disclaimer or the energy of a lift announcement in a multi-storey car park.
Why AI in Internal Comms Is a Big Deal Right Now
Time and sanity saved? Yes, please.
This one shouldn’t be a surprise. A survey by NewZapp of internal comms pros found that 71% cited time savings and improved efficiency as the top benefit of AI tools. This one may be less expected. Personalised messaging came in second at 29%, and enhanced accessibility (at 14%) was next in line. (NewZapp Communications)
Engagement goes up, noise goes down.
One logistics client of Cerkl slashed duplicate newsletters and reduced email volume by curating content for each employee, AI-style, meaning fewer inbox nightmares and more focus. (Cerkl Broadcast)
Personalisation isn’t just marketing jargon anymore.
We’ve written a few times about the importance of personalising internal comms wherever possible, but can our friendly Terminators help with that? AI-driven personalisation has shown to increase employee engagement by up to 48%, making relevance king. (sparrowconnected.com)
AI is already working behind the scenes at corporate giants.
At Davos 2025, Coca-Cola revealed it’s deployed an internal version of ChatGPT to help employees search policies and gauge needs, while reminding us that humans still get the final say. (Axios)
But Isn’t There Risk Involved?
Absolutely. Would you let semi-retired Mavis from Finance “decorate” your latest company newsletter with flat icons from ClipArt? Probably not. Same thing here. Half-baked implementation is the express route to “AI nonsense,” and nobody wants that:
Trust us, say 80% of companies. AI fails when it's not people-first. A recent study revealed most firms flop with AI because they ignore the "soft skills" part of the puzzle. (Reddit)
Transparency matters. NewZapp's survey found almost 86% of comms pros believe transparency in AI use is "extremely important." Nobody wants hallucinating bots repeating HR policies. (NewZapp Communications)
Real-World Wins: AI That Doesn’t Suck
DHL’s chatbot cheerfully handles employee FAQs on policies and logistics, cutting internal search time by 30%. That’s less frustration, more productivity. (Vorecol Blogs)
Unilever’s sentiment analyser flagged morale dips during restructuring, and engagement jumped 25% in just three months. (Vorecol Blogs)
Stratablue’s AI voice agent now filters absence calls for a logistics firm, meaning no more voicemails, no more confusion, just neat routing to managers or HR. (StrataBlue)
Microsoft’s internal comms team leans on AI in 75% of its daily content, enabling quick templates, smart drafting, and a Copilot they now can’t live without. (Medium)
How to Use AI Without Becoming an AI Flop
It will surprise no-one reading this to know that we are not championing replacing souls with silicon. That would be rather foolish from a commercial perspective! And it would also be completely disingenuous. Just as you might use spell check or Grammarly to help you write, and Photoshop or Canva to design and illustrate, use AI to enhance what you already do well:
Automate the boring, amplify the brilliant.
Use AI to draft and personalise newsletters, the "employee spotlight," or onboarding FAQs. Then -and this is the important bit- hone them with your brand’s voice. (changeengine.com)
Train your people, don’t just deploy tools.
Indeed is a case in point. They offer tailored AI training, encouraging experimentation and reflection, boosting dev productivity from 7% to 33% AI-assisted code generation in months. (Business Insider)
AI must have guardrails.
Keep legal and tone-of-voice teams involved. AI suggestions should never be sent unchecked.
Blend channels smartly.
Automate timing and delivery, like using AI to drop emails when employees actually open them, boosting visibility by as much as 40%. (changeengine.com)
Mix data with humanity.
Use AI to analyse sentiment, but have real humans interpret and act on the insights (especially during sensitive changes).
In short…
AI is already streamlining internal comms with personalisation, time-savings, and engagement. If you’re not sure your comms strategy or setup are ready for this brave new world, and don’t know where to start with the new 2025 remix, a health check is a great place to start.
Used poorly or without controls, AI creates hollow messaging, inauthentic content, and mistrust.
The sweet spot? Use AI to handle the laborious, repetitive (and, often, boring) tasks, so your team can focus on craft, tone, and connection.
We help you integrate AI ethically, effectively, and -most importantly- humanly. Want to save time without losing your voice? Reach out today. We promise you’ll find a human Guru at the other end!
By the way…
The rather cute image used as the header for this blog was created by AI. Does that make it a self-portrait?
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