THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY-JUNE 2026 49 If we could give one piece of advice to Foreign Service communicators about AI, it would be this: Keep people in the driver’s seat. all. But some emerging AI editing software includes the morally gray capability of changing the gender or race of individuals in photos. The DOC role existed, in part, to connect with local audiences, so leaning on these capabilities seems improbable. AI does not exist without ethical considerations. DOC specialists actively debated this during our community of practice discussion. We agreed on cautious, responsible usage. If AI could directly increase efficiency so you could spend time elsewhere, it was worth the exercise. It was wise, however, not to overdepend on or use the system indiscriminately. The Bigger Picture Where does human judgment and nuance matter most? Only a human, and particularly one who has grown up in the country, attended school there, and speaks the language, can truly understand the cultural nuances and political implications of certain communications. This is why the DOC specialists were so critical to communicating USAID’s and the U.S. government’s impact to local audiences. Based on our experience, AI can be helpful for brainstorming ideas, refining and editing text, ensuring documents remain within word count, drafting content, producing rough translations, conducting media monitoring, and even assisting with public speaking practice. AI can do much more than rewrite an email; it is fundamentally shifting how strategic communications work. Communicators used to spend weeks on landscape analysis that AI can conduct in seconds. We also tested some AI tools to serve as a public speaking coach for rehearsing important speeches. But if you are advising an embassy colleague who’s considering using an AI chatbot for communications work, we would recommend several guardrails. Do not input any sensitive or personally identifiable material unless you are using an internal system developed for more sensitive information. Ensure that settings are enabled so that the model is not trained using your material. We developed a simple framework: low-stakes, repetitive, time-consuming tasks can be delegated to AI, with a review by human eyes of course. Complex tasks where you will be refining the output are suited for partnering with AI. High-stakes decisions, sensitive communications, or anything with reputational risk should remain human only. We also worry about the impact on entry-level professionals. In communications, much of the learning happens through the unglamorous work of drafting and redrafting press releases, formatting talking points, and compiling media lists. These tasks teach newcomers how to think through the process, not just produce the product. If that work is delegated to AI, junior professionals may arrive at senior roles without the foundational understanding of what goes into the outputs they are overseeing. And while AI does open possibilities for professionals at all levels to focus on more creative, strategic work, we suspect the more likely outcome is that communications teams will simply be expected to do more with less, paradoxically increasing pressure rather than relieving it. One Piece of Advice If we could give just one piece of advice to Foreign Service communicators about AI, it would be this: Keep people in the driver’s seat. AI tools will never replace the value of judgment, accountability, and human relationships. Learn how to use these tools, keep up to date on changes, and experiment when you have downtime. The worst time to learn what AI can and cannot do is when facing a crisis or tight deadline. By experimenting today with routine drafts, background research, or internal documents, you will develop the judgment to know when to trust it, when to double-check it, and when to set it aside entirely. That instinct will serve you well when the stakes are high. Our program ended before we could see its full impact. The lessons we learned, however, remain relevant. AI can meaningfully support Foreign Service communications work, but only when deployed with clear-eyed awareness of its limitations. The DOC specialists who participated in our pilot understood this instinctively. They brought healthy skepticism, ethical concerns, and a deep appreciation for local knowledge that no language model can replicate. As AI adoption accelerates across the Foreign Service, human judgment remains the most valuable tool of all. n
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