Program

This panel will discuss how the role of communications and corporate affairs is changing in today’s fast-moving environment. As geopolitics, geoeconomics, and AI reshape the business landscape, communications teams are taking on a more strategic role.

Panelists will explore how the function is working more closely with business units, helping manage risk, seize new opportunities, and directly support business goals.

AI is putting comms teams in the driver's seat. With the rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and the intelligence emerging from large language models measurement, comms teams are leading more strategic conversations about business positioning, competitive strategy and growth decisions. At the same time, comms teams are setting the standard for building and deploying practical AI tools at pace, as well as taking responsibility for bringing the organization on the AI journey.

In this fireside conversation with PRovoke’s Diana Marszalek, Dan Bird, Head of AI and Innovation at Fight or Flight, and Jeff DeMarrais, SVP Global Marketing & Chief Communications Officer at Cognizant, explore how comms leaders are moving beyond storytelling to become strategic drivers of AI transformation across the enterprise.

Together, they will discuss:

• GEO as strategic leverage – Using generative visibility data to inform business strategy and elevate comms’ influence at the top table
• Measurement evolution – Moving beyond outputs to comms-influenced opportunities and demonstrable commercial impact
• From idea to execution at AI speed – How teams are building agents, automating workflows and compressing time from concept to delivery
• Engaging the whole organization – Practical approaches to driving AI adoption across departments
• Overcoming cultural and operational barriers – Navigating governance, capability gaps and organizational resistance

The discussion will spotlight Cognizant’s record-breaking global “vibe coding” initiative — the largest of its kind — where nine standout AI projects were driven by communications teams. It will also explore Fight or Flight’s own applied examples, including Media TrAIner, an AI-powered media training tool that puts spokespeople through their paces in real-time, and GEO Navigator, an approach to analyze and strengthen B2b brand visibility in LLMs for comms programs.