The evolving landscape of trust and the impact of AI on media and communications take center stage at this DLD25 session with Richard Edelman, CEO of the global communications giant, and his daughter Margot Edelman, the General Manager of Edelman’s New York Office. Journalist Ina Fried (Axios) moderates the conversation.
“People tend to trust companies more than other institutions”, Fried notes with regard to findings from the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, wondering whether U.S. corporations risk losing their customers’ trust when they “pivot on what they’ve stood for.”
Richard Edelman agrees that “companies have made profound change, especially in the United States, on diversity, equity and inclusion” – but keeping a focus on these values remains important, he says, as companies cannot afford to exclude certain social groups.
“My wife is Latino”, Edelman notes. “Latinos are a majority in several U.S. cities already. People don’t see this, but this is the truth. So you want to sell to them? You better be diverse. You better understand that your company is seen when you buy a product.”
When it comes to AI’s impact on communications, father and daughter offer contrasting perspectives. Margot embraces AI’s potential: “We have given our entire workforce AI tools, and we’re expecting them to get trained on how to use them”, she says, highlighting opportunities like text-to-image and text-to-video capabilities.
“I’m going to give you the other side, which is: the potential for disinformation is real”, Richard Edelman says. Given the low bar of producing AI content, companies must constantly monitor social media for negative messages about their brands and “better act and get out there fast because it goes and circles”, he advises.
Watch the video for further insights into the rapidly changing media landscape; industry consolidation; and successfully running a family business over several generations.
