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After years of discussing how artificial intelligence (AI) could transform the way we live and work, we are now experiencing its true benefits firsthand across various aspects of life. In the workplace, AI has become a valuable companion, significantly increasing our productivity and efficiency. According to research, employees in fields like cybersecurity, product development, sales, tech support, marketing, and public relations are witnessing how AI enhances their daily tasks.
In the world of PR and marketing, innovation and following new trends are the key for remaining competitive. So, it is no surprise that AI has become a powerful partner for professionals working in these sectors. It helps them stay ahead and quickly adapt, develop strategies and brainstorm. AI can automate their monotonous everyday tasks, create data-driven insights, and personalize communication, while leading to more efficient and impactful PR and marketing campaigns.
In this joint interview, Polymnia Soulioti, CMO of Microsoft Southeast Europe, and Irena Merkaš, Communications Manager in Microsoft for Central & Southeast Europe, discuss the transformative impact of AI tools on their daily work. They share insights on how AI has reorganized tasks, boosted creativity, and reshaped their roles in the marketing and communications sectors. Both, Soulioti and Merkaš offer valuable insights into the benefits and challenges of AI adoption and encourage their colleagues to embrace AI as a tool that can improve their work and drive better results.
AI tools have already started influencing how marketers and comms experts work. How did they affect your daily routine?
Irena Merkaš: Working at Microsoft, I’ve had the privilege of being at the forefront of AI advancements. It’s exciting to experiment with AI in ways that many of my peers in other industries may not yet be doing, and to learn from my colleagues, who are early adopters. When generative AI tools like ChatGPT became mainstream, it was a transformative moment (even my 60-year-old mom today uses Gen AI apps for gardening and cooking advices). In my role, tools like Microsoft Copilot have become essential, seamlessly integrated into Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more. Copilot doesn’t just summarize emails — it combines internal documents and conversations to offer responses that are personalized while maintaining privacy and security. AI has become my go-to for brainstorming, analyzing media coverage, and drafting content. What once took hours now takes minutes, saving me time for more strategic tasks.
Polymnia Soulioti: Marketing is one of the disciplines that has benefited greatly from AI tools. AI can help in content creation, not in a way of generating better ideas, but rather in a way of inspiring humans. We could argue that AI and humans will become co-writing partners. Another area that AI will elevate even further is the backbone of marketing and that’s none other than Data analysis and insights. There is no marketing without data and AI will make data analysis more insightful, accurate and efficient. And what is the ultimate target of marketing? Reaching the right audience with as much personalization as possible. AI will enhance personalization as well making the customer journey and experience even more advanced. From a marketeer perspective, having AI as a “strategic partner” helps me focus on decisions based on data, new ideas and creation of concepts rather than data analysis per se, emails, briefing clarifications etc.
We have learned that AI tools responses depend a lot on our ability to create a good prompt. How did you improve writing prompts over time? Can you estimate how much time AI tools save you?
Polymnia Soulioti: Using AI is a learning process, similarly to the tools that get more accurate with usage, we become better users of AI technology. Creating good prompts is key in order to leverage AI to the max. I have also started with generic prompts that obviously left a lot of room for ambiguity. Being specific and as clear as possible is pivotal as well as providing context regarding our question. Also, considering the goal of your question will help you craft it in the most suitable way to achieve your objective. In any case this is a “test and learn” process where you keep asking till you get the desired response. Some of us still remember the awkwardness in front of the screen of search engines that is now a natural action; in a glimpse AI Copilot will be as natural as replying to an email. I estimate that I already save 4 hours per week, and I strongly believe this will increase as AI tools are becoming more knowledgeable and, of course, I become a more experienced user.
Irena Merkaš: Over time, I’ve also learned to ask more effective questions and integrate AI more smoothly into my workflows. The more I use it, the more valuable it becomes. Tasks that once consumed a lot of my day, like summarizing emails or finding the right tone for different audiences, are now streamlined. I’m saving over an hour a day in some cases.
I remember that I started with simpler tasks like email summaries and polite responses. Now, I use AI for more complex tasks like preparing executive speeches, generating talk tracks, and crafting media Q&As. AI is particularly invaluable in a multicultural environment where content needs to be adapted quickly.
What other benefits of AI tools would you stress out?
Irena Merkaš: AI does more than speed up tasks – it enhances our work. For communications professionals, AI takes care of routine tasks, letting us focus on creativity and strategy. It can quickly sift through news articles, social media, and feedback to provide real-time insights into how messages are received. This helps us adjust our messaging based on audience reactions or competitor actions.
At Microsoft, we’ve conducted deep research into AI adoption in the workplace. We asked 1,300 early adopters how much time AI saved them each day. The results are fascinating: more than 60% of early AI adopters in cybersecurity, product development, and sales perceived time savings of up to an hour daily. Even just 11 minutes saved per day makes AI feel essential to most users.
Polymnia Soulioti: AI tools are trusted advisors for all disciplines and especially for occupations that have collaboration – a lot of meetings and exchange emails at their core. Improved efficiency and productivity with less mundane tasks and time savings are already visible to users but there is also great support of AI in analyzing data quicker, in making digital assistants even more efficient as well as minimizing human error. Especially in sectors such as healthcare and finance AI will revolutionize the way they operate with diagnostics and trend/pattern analysis.
What about AI and job displacement? There’s a global discussion whether AI will replace us or terminate our jobs. What do you think about it, are you worried?
Polymnia Soulioti: It is understandable that some people are afraid of AI or more accurately they are skeptical towards it. Firstly, AI was for many years something that we would see in sci-fi movies, completely irrelevant to our reality or/and our daily routine, and often related to a dystopian future. Secondly, fear towards change is something common in every technological revolution. AI is here to make our life easier, help us focus on creativity and new ideas rather than spending too much time and effort in mundane and operational tasks. Like every technological revolution, AI will bring changes in the work environment, making some occupations obsolete but also creating new ones.
Irena Merkaš: It’s natural for people to be skeptical of AI, but I see it as a powerful copilot, not an autopilot. AI is designed to enhance, not replace, human capabilities. In communications, skills like creativity, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking are irreplaceable. AI takes care of repetitive tasks and manages data-heavy processes, allowing us to focus on the strategic and creative parts of our work. While AI automates routine tasks, it can never replace the unique insights and human touch we bring to the table. It’s here to complement our skills and make us more efficient. The real value of AI is in how we use it to enhance our work and channel our energy into what truly matters.
So, to conclude, by embracing this technology, PR and marketing teams can gain a significant competitive edge. They can work smarter, not harder, achieving greater efficiency, stronger brand reputation, and ultimately, driving measurable success. You have both emphasized the value of AI as a strategic partner, assisting in data analysis, content creation, and personalization, you have also mentioned that AI tools have significantly improved efficiency and productivity, automating routine tasks and saving time for more strategic work, and then, by freeing up time for creative thinking, AI has enabled you to focus on innovative strategies and content.
Polymnia, considering your gathered experience with AI tools so far, would you recommend it to your colleagues?
Polymnia Soulioti: Sure thing! I am a great advocate of Microsoft Copilot as it saves time and helps you organize your day and projects. Even for meetings that I did take part in I am using Copilot as it offers a great wrap up with clear action items and R&Rs.
And Irena, how do you see AI shaping the future of communications? Why should your colleagues start using it?
Irena Merkaš: The future of communications will see AI playing an even greater role, with tools becoming more sophisticated and capable of handling complex tasks. However, the human element – creativity, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking will remain crucial. AI can boost efficiency and provide valuable insights, but it can’t replace the uniquely human aspects of effective communication.
I encourage my colleagues to start using AI-powered tools like Copilot to stay ahead in our fast-changing environment. The key is to continuously learn and experiment with these tools, leveraging them to complement our skills and drive better results.
Author: Ekrem Dupanović