How Public Affairs Teams Are Actually Using AI

From legislative strategy to stakeholder engagement, SHRM’s Sean McIntosh shows how pairing artificial and human intelligence is redefining advocacy work.

“AI plus HI equals ROI.”

For Sean McIntosh, Senior Advisor for Member Advocacy and Government Affairs Operations at SHRM, that equation captures the new reality of public affairs. Artificial intelligence, when paired with human intelligence and judgment, doesn’t just increase efficiency — it amplifies strategy, foresight, and impact.

The Shift: From Trend to Advantage

“AI isn’t a trend, it’s your advantage.” That message, first shared in Quorum’s Wonk Week invitation, resonated deeply with Sean. At SHRM — the Society for Human Resource Management — AI has become a cornerstone of how the organization serves its 340,000 members across 180 countries.

What once felt experimental has now become indispensable. Nearly three years after ChatGPT first entered the mainstream, government affairs professionals are moving from curiosity to confidence, building AI directly into their advocacy infrastructure.

Sean describes AI as a force multiplier for smaller teams. With fewer than ten people managing SHRM’s government affairs portfolio, he says AI gives them the capabilities of a twenty-person operation — accelerating analysis, personalizing outreach, and ensuring they stay one step ahead of policy change.

AI + HI = ROI

At the heart of SHRM’s approach is a people-first mindset: technology should elevate human judgment, not replace it.

As Sean explained, the organization sees AI as transformational across three pillars — enhancing insight, boosting productivity, and strengthening collaboration — so teams can focus on higher-value, strategic work.

This means using AI not only to process vast amounts of data but also to translate that data into clear, actionable intelligence for human decision-makers. “Government affairs is inherently about people,” Sean reminds. “AI will never replace that. But it can make our relationships and insights stronger.”

Using AI Responsibly

Alongside opportunity comes responsibility. Sean stresses that every AI initiative must balance innovation with ethics — ensuring that outputs are reliable, unbiased, and transparent.

He outlines five guiding responsibilities for any advocacy team using AI:

• Reliability: Always review and verify results; AI can miss nuance.
• Bias prevention: Be aware of inequities embedded in data.
• Transparency: Maintain accountability to preserve credibility.
• Security: Protect sensitive and proprietary information.
• Human connection: Never outsource empathy or trust.

For Sean, one of the most practical steps any public affairs team can take is to train AI in their organization’s voice. He recommends feeding large language models with past policy statements, press releases, and member communications. Doing so ensures outputs reflect the organization’s tone, values, and priorities — transforming AI from a generic assistant into a strategic collaborator.

AI in Action: Real Applications for Public Affairs

From Sean’s perspective, the best AI strategies are those grounded in practical outcomes. He walked Wonk Week attendees through examples of how SHRM and other advocacy teams are putting AI to work every day:

• Accelerated Legislative Analysis — AI tools now synthesize complex bills and amendments in minutes, flagging key provisions and drafting quick, actionable briefs.
• Translating Complex Policy Into Plain Language — For SHRM’s HR members, AI helps break down technical policy language into accessible summaries that clarify “what it means for you.”
• Strengthening Communications and Visibility — Drafting press statements, social content, and advocacy letters faster allows teams to stay proactive instead of reactive.
• Testing Arguments and Anticipating Counterpoints — Sean uses AI to “pressure-test” SHRM’s positions, surfacing opposing viewpoints to strengthen advocacy materials before they reach policymakers.

This hands-on use of technology aligns with how Quorum’s AI-powered solutions are transforming public affairs as well — from analyzing legislation across all 50 states to tracking policymaker dialogue and helping teams coordinate rapid responses.

From Reactive to Proactive Strategy

Sean believes the greatest shift AI enables is from reaction to readiness.

Where government affairs once revolved around crisis management and rapid response, AI now helps teams anticipate developments before they break. During the recent government shutdown, SHRM used AI to combine official guidance with real-time reporting, creating concise member updates that guided HR leaders through uncertainty.

He also shared how AI assists in state-level strategy — scanning pre-filed bills, identifying emerging priorities, and shaping pre-session plans months before legislatures convene.

“Public affairs will always be reactive in some ways,” Sean said, “but AI lets us be more proactive. It helps us see what’s coming and act before it lands on our desks.”

The Human Core of Advocacy

Even as AI accelerates workflows, Sean returns to one core truth: technology can’t replace the empathy, relationships, and judgment that define advocacy.

He likens AI to “a very eager college intern” — helpful, fast, and full of potential, but still in need of supervision and refinement. The goal is not to let AI lead but to let it learn from the humans behind it.

As he told attendees, “When trained in your voice and used responsibly, AI stops being generic and starts being strategic.”

AI is rewriting the playbook for public affairs. From legislative monitoring to stakeholder engagement, it’s no longer just a tool — it’s a trusted collaborator.

But as Sean emphasized throughout Wonk Week, the teams that will lead the next decade of advocacy are those who combine artificial intelligence with human integrity. They’ll use technology not to automate connection but to amplify it — transforming data into dialogue, and insight into influence.

About the Speaker

Sean McIntosh is the Senior Advisor for Member Advocacy & Government Affairs Operations at SHRM, the world’s largest HR trade association. His work focuses on equipping SHRM’s 340,000 members to influence policy with data, strategy, and purpose — leveraging AI to make advocacy faster, smarter, and more human.