Evolving role of AI in narrative building: Filipe Xavier

At the 15th edition of the India PR and Corporate Communications Conference (IPRCCC), Filipe Xavier, Head of Communications, ESG & Branding for GE HealthCare delivered a virtual keynote session on “The Evolving Role of AI in Narrative Building”. In his energetic and incisive session, he highlighted the transformation AI has brought in narrative building and further, challenged communicators to reimagine their relationship with artificial intelligence.

Xavier set the tone for his address by underscoring a rising concern in the modern communications landscape: “Are we harnessing the trend, or is the trend harnessing us?”

He stressed that AI has rapidly transitioned from novelty to necessity. He further quoted global usage statistics and revealed that three in four PR professionals are using generative AI today, with 83% of content creators integrating it into their workflows. “These are not fringe states, they are mainstream adoption,” he said.

Filipe also addressed the other side of the coin and dismissed fears of AI replacing human communicators. “AI is not going to replace communicators, but communicators who embrace AI will absolutely replace those who don't,” he highlighted.  He described the numerous benefits AI offers and stated it as a powerful colleague that can be an individual’s brainstorming partner, crisis manager, insight analyst, and even content drafter. However, he also warned that AI can generate content with efficiency, but it doesn’t feel the weight of silence after a crisis.

Moving ahead, he also talked about the evolution of AI-powered platforms and cited a few real-time examples. He elucidated that LinkedIn sees 1.5 million AI-powered content interactions per minute, Instagram Reels gain 49% more engagement due to algorithmic recommendations, and 89% of brands on TikTok are now investing in AI-generated video. “AI isn't future tech, it is powering content performance right now,” he emphasized.

Throughout the session, he raised the important questions among the communicators, “Are we shifting from storytelling to story sensing?” urging them to consider whether communicators are still trying to land messages or beginning to predict how narratives will resonate in advance.

“We must lean on what only humans bring to the table like empathy, context, judgment, nuance,” he said, underscoring the importance of human presence and avoiding over-reliance on technology.

Concluding his session, Xavier mentioned, “AI won’t write our future for us. It will help us write it faster, smarter, and bolder, but only if we remain human enough to remember why we tell stories in the first place. The keyboard is still in our hands. We are just using a smarter ink.”