Communications under pressure: Why trust, visibility and reputation are shifting at once

Image: Pixels, Antoni Shkraba

AI governance, search habits, brand safety issues, and economic pressures all affect one another. For example, a new law about AI use can impact both a company’s reputation and its risk profile. This means communications teams need to work closely with governance, risk, leadership, and public accountability teams, not just add messaging after decisions are made.

South Africa’s draft AI policy, which proposes a National AI Commission, an Ethics Board and a Regulatory Authority, is open for public comment until 10 June 2026. On its own, that is a significant policy development. It is also an important communications signal. It suggests that AI is moving more firmly into the public accountability space, which means organisations will increasingly be expected to say that they are using AI, and also how, why, and what safeguards are in place.

This raises the bar for communication. Innovation claims alone are likely insufficient. The real test is whether businesses credibly address risk, ethics, and oversight, and whether they call for closer alignment between governance and messaging, with all relevant teams working from the same facts.

Visibility is shifting, too. The search environment is becoming less predictable, and the old assumptions around digital discoverability are beginning to weaken. The Reuters Institute reported in January 2026 that publishers expect search traffic to drop by 43% over the next three years, while Chartbeat data showed Google referrals to publishers fell 33% globally between November 2024 and November 2025. At the same time, more information is surfacing through AI-generated summaries and answer engines, often in ways that reduce visibility into the original source.

Visibility can no longer be assumed simply because content exists. It now depends on content being useful, well-structured, attributable, and strong enough to stand out in uncontrollable environments, shifting the emphasis from volume to quality.

Brand safety is also becoming harder to define and defend. What was once treated as a relatively technical media planning issue is now under greater political, legal and reputational scrutiny. That makes the underlying judgement more important. The issue is not simply one of avoiding harmful content. It also raises more difficult questions about consistency, accountability, and viewpoint.

For communications teams, it is not enough to have a policy; they must explain its rationale if it is scrutinised. This requires a credible, practical framework. As pressure grows, vague or reactive responses are less likely to suffice.

All of this is unfolding in a tougher economic climate. In South Africa, the gap between promise and delivery remains visible in the wider business environment. Reuters reported on 14 April 2026 that only 42% of the R1.5 trillion pledged at South African investment conferences since 2018 has translated into real economic activity, below the 60%-80% global average cited by McKinsey. Set against wider volatility linked to rising oil prices and warnings from the IMF about broader disruption, the result is a more sceptical environment in which organisations have to communicate.

When confidence is fragile, audiences are less patient with vague or inflated language. Messaging now demands proof, specificity, and alignment with reality.

All of these changes increase the demands placed on communicators. For example, a policy change can quickly damage a reputation. Being less visible in search results can mean customers do not find a company at all. A bad media placement can spark public debate. In a weak economy, poor communication stands out even more.

That is why communications now need to be more evidence-led, more integrated and more alert to how information is discovered, interpreted and judged. The task now extends beyond crafting the message itself. It is about ensuring the message withstands scrutiny in a more complex, less predictable public environment.

The most successful organisations will be those that communicate with clear, credible, and disciplined language. They will focus on providing transparent information rather than making bold or vague statements, as public trust, visibility, and reputation become increasingly intertwined.

In summary, communications teams must now proactively align messaging with governance; focus on clarity, authority, and purpose to maintain visibility; establish transparent, defensible brand safety standards; and provide concrete, evidence-based communication strategies to maintain trust in a rapidly evolving, sceptical environment.