The State of Communication Readiness in 2026
A landmark report on confidence, capability, and the systems communicators need to lead in the AI era.
This report uncovers a profession under pressure: teams value AI and feel its urgency, yet confidence and capability fall far behind organizational expectations.
The data reveals widening confidence gaps inside teams, rising fears of misuse and job security, rapid model acceleration, and a clear need for structure over tools.
Together, these findings outline an industry poised for transformation — but only if leaders act.
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What’s Inside
155+ data points from real communicators across sectors
The Confidence Gap: where teams feel strong — and where capability breaks
Fear Signals: what communicators worry about privately vs. publicly
AI Model Acceleration: how output quality changed from 2024 to 2025
Governance vs. Capability: why policies don’t build readiness
What Communicators Actually Want From AI (and what they don’t)
The Communication Intelligence Framework™
2026 Action Priorities for communication leaders
“Leaders are asking communication teams to adopt AI rapidly, but the capability structure isn’t there. The gap is widening faster than leaders realize. Without clarity, structure, and shared confidence, teams will fail to keep pace with the expectations placed on them in 2026.”
— Bo Breuklander, Founder & Principal, Breuklander Communications
Why This Matters
Communication teams are being asked to absorb more responsibility than ever — with less clarity, fewer resources, and increasing pressure to integrate AI strategically and responsibly.
Yet most leaders are missing a crucial piece of the picture:
real data about how prepared their teams actually are.
This report gives communication leaders what they haven't had until now:
Signal. Context. Structure. Direction.
A grounded view of where the profession stands — and a clearer blueprint for where it must go next.
About the Research
The findings are drawn from a multi-year body of work, including:
AI readiness assessments across nonprofits, global B2B firms, higher education, and independent practitioners
Workshops and advisory engagements capturing team behaviors and capability patterns
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of communicator sentiment
Controlled studies comparing 2024 vs. 2025 AI model output quality
Practitioner insights from live panels, discussions, and application-based exercises
This research reflects what communicators actually do and experience in real environments, not what organizations assume.
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Get the signal. Lead with clarity.