AI literacy for communicators CPD
Training to upskill senior PR, marketing and communications professionals to make confident, informed decisions on AI in their work.
Move from AI adoption to AI literacy
Communications is one of the professions most exposed to generative AI and one of the least-equipped to evaluate it critically, according to recent research. Adoption is outpacing understanding, with AI tools proliferating faster than the governance frameworks and the ethical literacy needed to use them responsibly. This programme is aimed at supporting businesses to close that gap.
AI literacy for communicators is a research-led executive upskilling programme, delivered in partnership by a 名媛直播 Associate Professor and a senior communications practitioner from Magenta Associates.
Across four consecutive online sessions, delegates move from AI awareness to AI literacy, gaining the technical grounding, ethical frameworks and commercial judgement to make confident, accountable decisions about AI in their organisations.
Who this course is for
Heads of communications, senior PR and marketing practitioners, in-house communications leaders and consultants who already use AI tools, but want to do so with more understanding, confidence and accountability. The course is built for people who set, influence and follow policy, brief teams and carry reputational responsibility, across every sector.
Attending this course, you will acquire:
- a framework for AI literacy covering technical understanding, critical evaluation, responsible use and human oversight
- a working understanding of the generative AI economic landscape and where value is being created, captured and lost in communications
- the knowledge needed to identify, mitigate and communicate AI-related ethical risks, including bias, representational harm and opaque decision-making
- a critical awareness of the new AI information economy
- a defensible AI governance position and the language to explain it to an executive board
- the grounding to develop bespoke policies, toolkits and processes for responsible AI adoption in your organisation.
Programme sessions
Session 1: the new AI communications economy
An overview of the generative AI economic landscape and the structural shifts reshaping communications professions. This session covers content commoditisation; the upstream movement of value; AI platforms as gatekeepers; workforce disruption and the transition from 'move fast' to 'move ethically'.
Session 2: AI literacy – building understanding and trust
This session establishes what AI literacy is, how it differs from basic tool use and why it matters now. It also introduces the four-pillar framework (technical understanding, critical thinking, responsible use and human oversight) and closes with the practical building blocks for embedding AI literacy across a communications team.
Session 3: ethical and responsible AI in communications
A case-led examination of how AI fails in communications-adjacent contexts (hiring, credit, image classification, content moderation, microtargeting) and what communicators can learn from it. It covers the five core ethical risk categories, practical bias mitigation techniques and the communicator's role as trust gatekeeper.
Session 4: AI in creative and campaign workflows
This is the applied session. It covers the campaign lifecycle from ideation and audience research through to content production, review and reporting. Delegates leave with an AI-enhanced campaign-planning checklist they can put to work immediately.
Book now for June 2026
Tuesday 2 June - Friday 5 June 2026, 9.30–11.30am each day online.
Attendance at all four sessions is required for completion certification.
Cost: £800 (VAT exempt).
If you have any questions about the course or you wish to express your interest in future cohorts in AI literacy for communicators, please contact us at cpd@sussex.ac.uk.