AI Should Enhance Trust, Not Replace Human Engagements, Says Communication Expert 

A marketing communications and public relations professional, Taiye Tunkarimu, has urged organisations to shift their focus from transactional engagements to trust-based relationships, insisting that sustainable business growth depends on credibility, transparency and meaningful stakeholder engagement rather than short-term exchanges.

Tunkarimu made the call in a thought leadership piece titled: “Beyond Transactions: Building Relationships That Last,” where she argued that success in today’s highly competitive business environment should not be measured solely by the number of transactions completed, but by the quality and durability of relationships organisations build with their stakeholders.

According to her, while transactions facilitate immediate exchanges of value, enduring business success is rooted in trust, mutual respect, understanding and a genuine commitment to shared prosperity.

She observed that many organisations still approach stakeholder engagement from a transactional perspective, reducing relationships to activities such as meetings, sponsorships, business deals and press releases, instead of investing in long-term partnerships capable of strengthening corporate reputation and institutional resilience.

“Strong relationships are built on mutual respect, reliability, transparency and shared values that extend beyond immediate gains,” she stated.

She explained that when stakeholders feel genuinely heard, employees experience authentic engagement, and host communities receive meaningful investment, relationships naturally evolve from being merely transactional to becoming transformational.

According to Tunkarimu, organisations that cultivate trust-based relationships are better positioned to strengthen their reputations, manage crises effectively and unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth.

She emphasised that the responsibilities of communications professionals extend far beyond managing corporate narratives, stressing that their primary responsibility is to nurture meaningful relationships because, in her words, “people do not remember the transaction; they remember the trust.”

Examining emerging trends within the communications industry, Tunkarimu noted that corporate communications and stakeholder engagement are increasingly moving towards trust-driven and measurable relationships, with artificial intelligence, reputational risk management and transparency becoming central pillars of organisational success.

She disclosed that about 91 per cent of public relations professionals now incorporate generative artificial intelligence into their daily workflows.

However, she maintained that stakeholders are less interested in whether organisations describe themselves as “AI-first” and more concerned with whether technology improves clarity, speed, consistency and reliability in communication.

She further argued that corporate reputation has evolved beyond branding to become a critical business risk management issue, bringing communications professionals closer to executive decision-making and organisational trust-building responsibilities.

Tunkarimu also highlighted what she described as a significant agility gap within organisations, revealing that while one in three executives consider their organisations highly agile, only 14 per cent of employees share the same view.

According to her, the disconnect stems largely from slow decision-making structures, organisational silos and increasingly fragmented media environments that hinder timely responses to stakeholder concerns.

She also pointed out that executives are placing greater emphasis on measurable commercial outcomes, with 32 per cent identifying revenue generation and return on investment as top priorities.

By contrast, communications teams continue to focus largely on brand awareness, creating a disconnect that underscores the need for communications professionals to demonstrate tangible business value beyond media visibility.

Tunkarimu warned that audiences are becoming increasingly resistant to high-volume but low-quality content, stressing that accuracy, sound judgement and compelling storytelling now distinguish organisations that successfully earn public confidence.

She added that stakeholders—including investors, employees, customers and host communities—now expect greater transparency, consistency and alignment with shared values instead of polished corporate messaging alone.

Citing industry research, she noted that organisations enjoying high levels of stakeholder trust are generally more resilient during crises and recover their reputations more quickly than those relying primarily on transactional interactions.

Consequently, she urged communications leaders to develop performance indicators that measure stakeholder confidence, engagement quality and reputational resilience, rather than depending exclusively on traditional media impression metrics.