Influencing policy in an AI world: Why getting in the news still matters

We’re hearing this first-hand from junior advisers to senior decision-makers: Political stakeholders are increasingly using tools like ChatGPT to get to grips with complex issues.

What these tools surface matters. And since AI is largely trained on online content including news media, this means getting your cause in the press can now have a deeper, structural role in how decisions are formed.

Recently, we put this to the test.

We supported Eurosif, IIGCC and UNPRI in launching a joint statement opposing the European Commission’s expected plans to dilute sustainable finance legislation via the Omnibus Simplification Package.

The results? 100+ pieces of media coverage, including the FT, Bloomberg, Politico, and national outlets in five markets. And the story was referenced repeatedly in follow-up coverage.

Why did it cut through? Three things stand out:

• It was a new voice
  This wasn’t another NGO statement. It was a coordinated intervention from a powerful and often quiet corner of the financial sector. Over 200 investors, managing €6.6 trillion in assets, spoke up collectively. That scale and unity made the voice hard to ignore.
• It brought a different perspective to the political debate
  At a moment when the political conversation risked becoming technocratic and inward-looking, this intervention reframed the debate. It connected sustainable finance legislation to real economic consequences: Investor confidence, climate targets, long-term risk.
• It disrupted expected divisions
  The Omnibus had been framed as NGOs versus the private sector — an easy narrative for the Commission to manage. But this intervention flipped that script. When €6.6 trillion in investor assets opposed the plans, the Commission could no longer present the reforms as a gift to business. That tension made the story more surprising, and more powerful.

The result? The investor position became part of the “AI narrative”. The message surfaced organically through the black box of generative AI.

At a time when PR’s role is under scrutiny, this is a clear example of why getting into the news still matters. It’s not just about headlines — it’s about influencing the sources that shape tomorrow’s thinking.

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