Metaverse unlocks playground of discovery and reputational risk – PRCA Global Ethics Council Annual Perspective

The PRCA Global Ethics Council has published its 2022 Annual Perspective, featuring insight from 30 global leaders, exploring the ethical challenges when engaging in the Metaverse, NFTs, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and other new technology.

The Annual Perspective aims to spark a global conversation on PR’s role in helping clients and organisations navigate the ethical risks and opportunities on new tech platforms.

Spearheaded by PRCA Global Ethics Council Co-Chairs Mary Beth West, Nitin Mantri and Israel Opayemi, the 35-page report is freely available to PR and communications professionals around the world.

Key themes include:

– The tension between innovation, ethics, and risk management
– The opportunity for PR professionals to pioneer new forms of audience engagement in the Metaverse
– Looming reputational risks, including breaches of user/consumer privacy, deepfakes, misinformation and cybercrime
– The need for the PR and communications industry to level-up its knowledge on technology.

Download report here.

PRCA Global Ethics Council Co-Chair Mary Beth West MPRCA said:

“The PRCA Ethics Council urges the whole of the PR industry – at every level of experience and practice – to embrace new areas of learning, awareness, and strategic consideration tied to the ethics of AI and how digital technology might be engaged in ways that potentially risk stakeholder trust and brand reputation.

“Since crafting reputation and advancing trust stand at the core of public relations expertise, this year’s PRCA Ethics Council Annual Perspective offers strategic considerations from many of the global PR industry’s best minds – and the PRCA is proud to offer this publication as a free resource to cross-disciplinary consultancies, C-suites, corporate boardrooms, and academia.”

PRCA Global Ethics Council Co-Chair Nitin Mantri said:

“The times are calling for bold, brave action, and the pressure on brands to deliver is at an all-time high. Authentic, purpose-led communications is the way forward. Brands will be measured on whether they’re on the right side of social change or not — and they need good communicators to take them on this journey.

“This year’s PRCA Ethics Council Annual Perspective provides PR professionals with the tools to push their clients to be ethical and use every touch point as an opportunity to tell human stories that truly make an impact and build a deeper connection with the people the industry serves.”

The PRCA Ethics Council was launched in May 2020 to uphold and elevate ethical standards in the public relations and communications industry across the world.