Interview: Tom Robinson from Edelman

 As AI continues to reshape PR workflows, agencies are being forced to reconsider what junior roles might look like in the future. With AI tools increasingly handling responsibilities such as research, drafting, and administrative tasks - tasks that junior PR practitioners traditionally start out with - some fear entry-level positions could gradually disappear.

Yet, removing these roles altogether risks creating long-term talent gaps across the industry. A more sustainable path may lie in reimagining what the junior role looks like in an AI-assisted workplace.

To explore the potentials and possibilities, Telum Media spoke with Tom Robinson, CEO of Edelman Australia on rethinking the value of junior agency roles. He shares insights into the risk of relying on AI to replace traditional entry-level tasks, the responsibility of preparing job-ready junior talents, and how early-career practitioners can upskill in the AI-driven world.

As AI takes on many traditional junior tasks, how can agencies rethink the value of junior PR roles today? What would a reimagined junior role look like?
The traditional junior toolkit is being reshaped. But that does not diminish the role; it elevates it.

If AI is removing operational friction, junior practitioners can spend more time developing judgement, context, and commercial thinking. For example, in an agency like ours, new entrants into the industry are not hidden in the background but exposed to clients early - and this exposure matters.

A reimagined junior role is less about producing volume and more about interrogating ideas: Can you challenge a brief? Can you identify reputational risk in the market? Can you connect cultural nuance to brand strategy?

We can get AI to generate a media list, but it cannot replace lived experience, nor can it replicate the instinct that comes from understanding local audiences, regulators, and communities. Technology can amplify an idea, but it cannot originate one with substantive depth or the understanding of irrational human behaviour.

As an industry, we should not forget the value created by our most formative professional years. Nowadays, we have new roles in the agency that didn’t exist three years ago, and new, upcoming talent will need to grow into them. For the new generations, the differentiator will be creative and strategic thinking.

With proper investment and cultivation, junior roles can become more intellectually demanding and promote more commercial awareness. That is a positive shift.

With budgets tightening, there are agencies turning to AI and mid-level staff instead of hiring juniors. What risk does this approach pose to the industry’s long-term talent pipeline?
There is a temptation, particularly in a tightening market where margins can be under pressure at all ends of the supply chain, but I believe it is short-sighted.

Professional services firms are built on progression. Mid-level talent does not come fully formed; they are shaped over years of guided responsibility. If we pause junior hiring for too long, we will feel the gap acutely in three to five years’ time.

Our firm is continuing to invest at that level and partnering with universities in doing so, because rather than as a substitute, we see AI as an enabler of better development. It removes repetitive processes and creates capacity for higher-value work.

There is also a broader commercial question at play. Agencies operating on time-based models can face pressure to prioritise efficiency, as clients can prioritise paying for input rather than results as a defining measure of success.

In that environment, it can be tempting to rely more heavily on AI or mid-level talent instead of investing in junior roles. But communications ultimately needs to contribute to business impact. If we shift the focus toward the outcomes we deliver for clients, the mix of talent becomes a strategic decision rather than a cost-cutting one.

Australia’s market is competitive but relatively small. If we fail to nurture early talent, the shortage will be felt quickly. Long-term capability requires deliberate investment and remains an obligation for any leader to protect in the industry today, whether you operate on the client side or agency side.

There’s ongoing debate about who is responsible for preparing job-ready junior talent - agencies, clients, universities, or the juniors themselves. Where does this responsibility genuinely land, and where has the industry been avoiding accountability?
Responsibility is shared, but agencies remain unique in their ability to offer breadth of experience and exposure to different ways of thinking.

Universities in Australia do a strong job of teaching theory and communications principles, but it's down to individuals to maintain their sense of curiosity and initiative - increasingly invaluable attributes today.

Where the industry has avoided accountability is in expecting graduates to be “client ready” while reducing structured mentoring. You cannot demand strategic acumen from someone who has not been given meaningful exposure.

We have an obligation to invest in the next generation. That means structured onboarding, feedback that goes beyond redlines, and real involvement in client work. It also means teaching AI fluency, governance and ethics, as well as writing and media skills.

Clients play a role too. If we put too much emphasis on efficiency, advisory, and experience without recognising how talent is developed, we create a fragile system. We need more transparent conversations about how capability is built.

Talent development should be seen as a strategic investment, not an overhead. In a market of our size, we cannot rely on importing fully formed practitioners indefinitely. We must nurture and help them evolve.

Avoiding that responsibility may protect short-term margins, but it weakens the profession over time.

Many senior practitioners developed their skills through learning from mistakes made early in their careers. With AI-enabled PR constantly assisting and correcting, how can junior practitioners learn to judge quality, develop their voice, and improve their work, and what needs to change in how juniors are trained or mentored?
The answer is not to shield juniors from AI, but to change our mindset in how we use it. The technologies are only as good as the inputs we offer and the human oversight.

As AI accelerates drafting and ideation across industries, human validation becomes crucial to ensure accuracy, trustworthiness, and brand consistency. The learning comes from analysing the difference: Why does one version land better? What nuance is lost? Does the argument hold up in the Australian context? Does the human essence come through in the output? That critical evaluation builds judgement.

Mentorship becomes even more important in this environment. Senior practitioners will need to explain their reasoning, not simply correct the output. In a busy agency environment, this discipline requires intent.

We must also preserve the space for accountability. If AI removes every visible flaw, we risk developing technically proficient but strategically shallow professionals.

Training now needs to include prompt craft, validation, bias awareness, and governance alongside core communication skills. Juniors should understand both the power and limits of AI.

Creative thinking and lived experience remain accelerators of growth. Technology can refine and test ideas to open up the possibility of diverse thought. It cannot replace the human capacity to sense risk, opportunity, or cultural mood.

Do you see AI as a net positive or a potential limiter for junior career development in PR? What will determine the outcome?
I am optimistic.

AI, when used properly, accelerates learning. A junior practitioner can test multiple angles, analyse data sets, and iterate ideas in ways that were previously prohibitive. This creates exposure to more diverse thinking when applied correctly, but the outcome will depend on leadership.

If AI is treated as a cost-reduction lever, junior development will suffer. Whereas if it is treated as a thinking partner, it will expand capability.

In any market where clients expect both strategic counsel and efficiency, AI helps us remove operational hurdles. That frees our teams to focus on higher-value client problem-solving and creative amplification.

As we’re already experiencing in the industry, new skills and roles will come to the forefront, such as data fluency, ethical oversight, and systems thinking. The strongest talent will use AI to push their thinking further - not replace it.

The commercial model also matters. If we move further towards valuing outcomes over hours, AI becomes a performance enhancer rather than a billing threat.

Ultimately, culture determines the result. Agencies that invest in people while embracing technology will produce stronger, more versatile leaders. Those that do not may find themselves technically efficient but strategically diminished.

As technical tasks become automated, soft skills like emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and resilience are gaining prominence. How do these qualities show up in strong junior practitioners, and how can agencies better identify and nurture them?
In strong junior practitioners, emotional intelligence shows up in how they read client dynamics, anticipate stakeholder sensitivities, and adjust tone instinctively. Critical thinking appears in the questions they ask and the time spent listening to understand, not just the tasks they complete. Resilience is evident in how they respond to feedback or fast-moving issues.

In Australia, where relationships and trust are critical to business, these qualities matter enormously.

So, agencies will need to recruit and adjust accordingly. Scenario-based interviews, collaborative exercises, and real-time problem-solving reveal far more than a polished CV. Once inside the agency, exposure is key. For example: sitting in client meetings, participating in crisis simulations, or debriefing openly after campaigns.

Technical competence is essential, but it is table stakes. The differentiator is the ability to connect culture, commerce, and community with clarity and confidence.

If we invest in those human capabilities while equipping our teams with new tools, we will build a generation of practitioners not replaced by AI but fuelled to new heights by it.