PROVOKE SUMMIT RECAP: Companies Need To Shape The Debate Around AI 

ROKK Co-Founders and Partners Ron Bonjean and Rodell Mollineau sat down with Paul Holmes, founder and chair of PRovoke Media, during their North American Summit in New York City to talk about how companies should navigate AI and other hot button issues in an election year. 

When it comes to determining the future of artificial intelligence, the American public believes that regulators might not be sufficiently informed and that companies might not have the public interest in mind, creating a complicated policy environment in which all parties need to work together.

In this discussion, they shared that the public doesn’t trust either legislators or companies to define the future of AI and that partnership is essential. “You’ve got a public that is both intrigued and to a certain extent inspired by what AI can do but skeptical of some of the actors. They believe that the government should have the leading role in shaping AI regulatory policy,” said Mollineau. Based on ROKK Solutions’ research with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, voters believe that tech companies are smarter on AI than the government, however, “they are a little bit wary of whether or not tech companies will be good actors.”

When it comes to AI, it’s important that all parties with a stake in policy are included in the conversation around national policy. “This is an opportunity for both companies, for the private sector, and for the public sector to get together in real time and start figuring out what this framework looks like,” said Bonjean. 

While both partners agree that AI policy is unlikely to be created this year – an election year – it is going to start taking shape and those companies with a stake in the outcome of any policy debate need to be involved now to make sure that regulatory decisions are based on all the facts and all perspectives.

Learn more about how ROKK can help companies shape the conversation on AI policy and see a recap of the conversation from PRovoke Media. 

A season of Congressional hearings on antisemitism on college campuses is winding down as the school year ends but the issue has become an effective political wedge that could endure.

For months, House Republicans have summoned university leaders to testify on Capitol Hill over allegations of antisemitism during protests on their campuses. As NPR’s Barbara Sprunt reports, the issue has become a political strategy for Republicans and one that is poised to endure beyond the school year.

ROKK Partner Kristen Hawn spoke to NPR’s All Things Considered about whether the hearings with university leaders will move the needle for Democratic voters. 

The past few years have seen corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts evolve from corporate medal of honor to business standard to political landmine. In the past year alone, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become the most controversial component of the ESG battleground, with the SCOTUS decision on Affirmative Action setting the frontlines for an all-out war between political parties. Companies are both the soldiers and the casualties as they seek to navigate a landscape fraught with pressures from the right, the left, activists, and their own workforces.

Executive Vice President Lindsay Singleton and Account Executive Gabrielle Donofrio gave insights to Fast Company into navigating DEI policies and what our research into voter views on DEI means for companies.

Kristen Hawn, Partner and Democratic strategist, joined Bloomberg’s Balance of Power to discuss how the Republicans vying to be Trump’s VP pick are rallying behind him at his trial in New York, whether or not Biden’s announcement on EV technology and an increase in Chinese tariffs can improve his favorability in swing states, and what to expect from the Maryland and West Virginia primary elections. Watch the replay.

President Biden’s reelection campaign is making a play for Florida, hoping to steal a state that has been moving toward the GOP — and has become the new home state for former President Trump — away from Republicans in November.

Winning back the Sunshine State will be an uphill battle, but Biden’s campaign thinks the issue of abortion, which will be on the ballot thanks to a restrictive new state law, can give the president and other Democrats a boost.

ROKK Senior Vice President John LaBombard spoke with The Hill about Biden’s decision to leverage the latest restrictive abortion legislation to win votes in Florida.

Communicators are looking at the rise of AI as a massive opportunity for the field, but they are also factoring in the potential risks the technology could bring for corporate reputation and political communication in a high-stakes election year.

Why it matters: Companies are working on crafting guidelines for disclosing AI use as well as thinking on how to respond to potential comms risks and crises involving AI, high-level communicators told Axios’ Eleanor Hawkins and Nathan Bomey at an Expert Voices roundtable discussion event.

Learn more about the exclusive luncheon of industry leaders that was sponsored by ROKK Solutions, WE Communications and Salesforce.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rising profile is raising the question of whether he could appear on a debate stage with President Biden and Donald Trump — and what impact that could have on the presidential race.

It’s not yet clear if Kennedy, who has seen scattered polling throughout his candidacy, will even be able to qualify for a televised forum, as the independent candidate has also yet to collect enough signatures for most state ballots.

Kristen Hawn, Democratic Strategist and Partner at ROKK Solutions, spoke with The Hill about why Biden may have the edge over his rivals in the 2024 Presidential race.  

Comms leaders from the private sector joined Axios at a reception event for conversations about how they are navigating AI and engaging in politicized cultural issues in a high-stakes election year.

Why it matters: Corporate communicators are the first to respond to political, economic and cultural crises on behalf of a company, and the stakes of doing so have never been higher in a contentious election year that will be defined by the rise of AI.

Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean was in conversation with Sabastian V. Niles, Salesforce president and chief legal officer, discussing the importance of deliberate engagement on social issues. Read the full conversation here.

At an event in Washington, D.C., alongside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, more than 100 Axios Communicators readers gathered to discuss managing corporate reputation during an election year.

Why it matters: In times of uncertainty, polarization or transition, employees require more communication, not less.

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean spoke at the event about how the risks businesses face if they weigh in on issues that do not directly tie to their business objectives or corporate values.

ROKK Solutions is honored to announce that we’ve been named the 2024 Public Affairs Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media. 

The winners are selected from a pool of over 150+ submissions by a jury of award winning PR professionals and we’re honored that the incredible work we do has been recognized for this award. This award wouldn’t be possible without the valued support of our clients, colleagues and friends. We thank you all for your friendship and trust as we continue to raise the bar for communications excellence.

Winners were unveiled at the PRovoke Media’s North American SABRE Awards ceremony, which took place on May 1, 2024, at Cipriani Midtown.

See the full list of winners and finalists for PRovoke Media’s 2024 North America Agencies of the Year.

ABOUT PROVOKE MEDIA AGENCIES OF THE YEAR

The North American Agency of the Year Awards recognize the best firms in specific size categories and in specific disciplines. In all, 69 firms — from giant multinationals to small local specialists — are nominated across the 14 Agency of the Year categories, reflecting what was probably the most competitive year in its history.