Artificial intelligence is transforming our daily lives, especially how we work. At the Glen Echo Group, keeping up with AI means not only tracking AI policy developments, but also mastering the very tools in question. This summer, our team took a significant step forward by participating in the PR Council’s formal AI training program offered through Section, an AI workforce transformation company. With courses ranging from “AI for Data Analysis” to “Building a Custom GPT,” the training equipped our team with frameworks, tools, and insights to responsibly and strategically integrate AI into our daily workflows ― and help our clients do the same.

‍

We caught up with members of the first cohort to share what they learned, how they’re applying their knowledge, and the advice they’d offer peers and clients navigating the fast-moving world of AI.

‍

Meet Our Graduates

‍

‍

Andrea Jones is a vice president with Glen Echo Group. She successfully leads strategic communications campaigns for a broad range of global brands, establishing relationships with targeted media and working to place clients into top-tier and local publications. A dedicated and driven communicator, she has experience in fast-paced, high-pressure environments and moving between long-term, big-picture planning to detail-oriented, day-to-day operations.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Dani Leopold Bogage is a senior director with Glen Echo Group, with deep expertise in media relations, crisis communications and social media. She specializes in broadband policy, freedom of expression issues and strategic communications campaigns around digital adoption and equity. 

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Based in Chicago, Carrie Hutcheson is a director with Glen Echo Group, where she leads media relations, policy research and collateral development for her clients. Her work primarily focuses on online privacy and competition among digital platforms.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Halley Roth is a senior associate with Glen Echo Group, where she contributes to successful communications and public affairs campaigns for a variety of clients in the tech space. Halley has established herself as an events guru, producing several high-profile conferences and salon dinners in the D.C. area.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Tiffany Garcia is a senior associate with Glen Echo Group, where she works with a variety of clients involved in the virtual reality, data privacy and broadband industries. In her role, Tiffany assists with policy advocacy, research, strategic communications and media outreach.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Q: What was your most important takeaway from the training?

‍

Andrea: The biggest mindset shift for me came during the “AI Crash Course“ — AI isn’t a magic solution, but it is a teammate. Sometimes it operates as an over-eager intern; other times, it functions as a C-suite executive. Across a wide array of tasks there are areas in which AI can excel (or not) and it’s important to recognize it as a tool that can be used — not something that has all the answers. 

‍

Dani: The “AI for PR and Communications” module reinforced that, like all things in comms, using AI well is about having a strategy. You need to experiment, plan, and be thoughtful. You can’t open ChatGPT or Perplexity for the first time and expect your life to be changed. A deliberate, thoughtful approach pays off.

‍

Carrie: Across all the modules, one principle was clear: don’t be lazy with your prompts. The better the prompt, the better the result. One change I made immediately was specifying the role I want AI to play, like asking it to respond as a subject matter expert or analyst. That shift alone improved the quality of outputs right away.

‍

Q: What advice would you give to your colleagues now that you’ve completed formal AI training?

‍

Andrea: Especially for the AI skeptics, I’d say: start small. Try using it on low-stakes, mundane tasks. You don’t need to jump in head-first, but you do need to start. The digital divide was transformative; the AI divide could be even greater.

‍

Halley: A stat from the course stuck with me: 62% of the workday is often spent on mundane work. AI can reclaim hours of your day from routine tasks, but it does have limitations. Use AI to unlock time for strategy, creativity, and deeper thinking, but don’t forget to use it responsibly, understand its limits, and protect your data privacy and your clients’ IP or otherwise confidential information.

‍

Tiffany: We learned some great frameworks to structure prompts. Start with a clear purpose and build from there. Break big tasks into multiple prompts, which act as building blocks that tweak and improve the final product.

‍

Q: What would you tell clients about AI, based on this training?

‍

Andrea: I am in the camp of individuals who get a little nervous about the expanded use of AI (we need regulation as we have innovation) but there are very cool, very real applications that can be used to protect clients’ bottom line. 

‍

Dani: Using what are now considered mainstream AI platforms doesn’t make sense for every client. For example, for our clients involved in the national security space, we’re not going to use these platforms in our work. But having the conversations about what we can do and what we can use is incredibly important as the technology and rules and regulations governing its use continue to evolve. 

Carrie: The AI courses used AI clones of the instructors for some of the videos, enabling them to reduce time in the recording studio and continually update the content. This really struck me, and is related to the advice I’d offer clients ― familiarize yourself not only with the tools, but also the regulatory efforts around AI and the debates they’ve sparked. Then keep doing so. In this environment and with so much focus on AI development around the world, the second you stop trying to keep up, you fall behind. Not only with the tech policy being shaped, but also with the tech itself!

‍

Halley: AI is here, and clients should be using it strategically and responsibly. But as the training emphasized, “AI augments, but doesn't replace your role.” Do NOT overrely on AI.

‍

‍Tiffany: Use AI with intention beyond just saving time. Instead of asking, “Did I like the product/answer/image, etc., AI created?” ask, “Did I make it what I intended?” Start small with administrative, repetitive tasks as you experiment and test AI platforms and their boundaries.

‍

AI isn’t a trend — it’s a transformation. And like any powerful tool, it requires curiosity, discipline, and practice to use well. We’ve embraced the challenge, though our learning is just beginning. As we continue exploring the responsible use of AI in communications, one thing is clear: the more we invest in understanding it, the more value we can create for our team, but also for our clients. If you want help navigating this evolving tech and the nascent but important regulatory regimes that will govern it, contact us. 

‍