Pocket Lobbyist

Hot take: AI should not be doing your government relations strategy for you.

Large Language Models (LLMs) like Claude or ChatGPT can be incredibly useful for gathering research, identifying trends, and collecting information quickly. But government relations is still a deeply human industry built on relationships, timing, and judgment. Basically, it comes down to understanding people and the psychology that drives them.

That’s why we treat AI as a tool, not a replacement for strategic thinking.

Information gathered through AI should still be cross-referenced with primary sources, validated, and interpreted through real-world context. Because when the stakes are high, accuracy and nuance matter.

Government relations is about understanding incentives, priorities, and the reality of how decisions get made.

If a tool exists, governments and decision-makers are going to use it. Strong GR professionals understand that and think proactively instead of reactively. They understand what others are trying to accomplish and build strategies based in reality, not assumptions about what “should” happen.

That mindset shift is one of the biggest differences between reacting to politics and navigating it strategically.