As Raspberry Pi prepares its annual financial results, CEO Eben Upton turned to a chatbot for assistance. This marked the company’s first full-year results since its stock market debut.

Upton sought a “tone analysis” from Claude, an AI developed by Anthropic, to evaluate the sentiment surrounding the microcomputer firm, rating its performance on a scale from one to one hundred.

Initially, the chatbot delivered a score of 70%. After Upton prompted it to swap some words, the score nearly reached 100% with an infusion of exaggerated praise. However, Upton opted to remove the term “exceptional,” settling for a more grounded score of 89%, which he deemed appropriate.

Upton aimed to ensure that the document’s tone reflected the company’s genuine confidence, cognizant that hedge funds and financial journalists might utilize AI tools themselves to assess sentiments and hidden meanings.

His initiative showcases a growing trend of companies incorporating AI into their communications. For example, Prosus, a major global tech investor, has developed Finbert, an AI tool that assesses the sentiment of financial texts. Other companies are following suit.

Upton’s approach is not isolated. AI’s usage in corporate communications is on the rise. Recently, at the London Stock Exchange, Simon Phillips, CEO of CT Automotive, appeared as an avatar in a video to present the firm’s financial results.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, has also embraced AI, using a chatbot to draft his speeches. He mentioned during a Wired conference, “I provide a basic outline and previous talk PDFs, and the bot creates my first draft.”

Traditionally, organizations have engaged public relations firms to craft messages appealing to stakeholders and media outlets. However, AI is increasingly taking on some of these tasks more swiftly and cost-effectively, despite some reluctance among top PR professionals to admit it, as it jeopardizes the conventional billing model.

One PR expert noted, “We do the essential work; we couldn’t face clients otherwise.” Meanwhile, another remarked that while veteran employees might be hesitant to adopt AI, younger staffers frequently rely on it for writing tasks without concealment. The use of American expressions and long dashes often reveals the influence of AI. A freelancer acknowledged that using AI significantly aids in managing workload when one is on their own.

This trend raises important questions. The ongoing integration of AI is transforming how corporate leaders engage with external audiences, a vital aspect of building trust, influencing markets, and shaping reputations.

However, a potential downside is the risk of homogenizing communication styles, where companies utilize similar buzzwords and phrases, resulting in a loss of unique corporate identity. This could hinder analysts and investors in drawing clear insights from communications.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the body overseeing financial reporting and accounting, has been considering the implications of generative AI for some time. Notably, however, they have not yet issued any guidance on the matter.

In a recent consultation on updates to the corporate governance code, the FRC inquired whether boards felt they required guidance on AI’s role in report generation; the feedback was minimal, coming from only a few respondents over a year and a half ago. It appears increasingly necessary for the FRC to address this as AI continues to shape how companies present themselves to the public.

Looking ahead, the FRC previously noted in a 2019 document that by 2048, it’s possible that companies might operate with an AI persona, communicating in a distinct voice. This evolution would fundamentally alter corporate reporting strategies.