Ed Zitron: A Paid Enthusiast and Skeptic of AI All Rolled into One.

“Ed Zitron Gets Paid to Love AI. He Also Gets Paid to Hate AI”

“In the world of public relations, Ed Zitron is an anomaly. Unlike most in his field, he doesn’t promise to help his clients land flattering cover stories or profiles. For Zitron, the founder of the PR firm EZPR, the lying, as he puts it, just isn’t worth it.”

One might say Ed Zitron has turned the traditional public relations profession on its head. With an ethos harboring a distaste for glossy cover stories or sugar-coated profiles – a departure as stark as swapping a caviar canapé for a bag of Funyuns at a black-tie party. The founder of EZPR, Ed’s got a novel catchphrase for this atypical stance: he simply labels it as avoiding the ‘lying.’

Many are curious as to why someone like Ed, with a successful PR firm, would stick to such an unconventional playbook. Some insiders might call it harakiri, a suicidal move that defies standard PR practices – but not Ed. You can almost hear the self-assured chortles, bouncing down the halls of EZPR as he continues to embody an unexpected ethos in a discipline synonymous with embellished narratives and grandiose claims.

Remember: these are the same PR hounds chasing the fantasy of placing their client’s story in a top-tier outlet like The New York Times. The same ones willing to fib and flirt with the boundaries of ethical journalism only to secure that coveted headline. Meanwhile, on Planet Zitron, this lavish storytelling, this PR puffery, is not only frowned upon but dismissed as a downright fable.

The vast, interconnected universe of artificial intelligence has found a peculiar home within Ed’s PR firm. Their campaign strategies lean towards the uncommon, but fruitfully practical: they believe in solid product designs, real AI capabilities, and actual outcomes rather than glossy facades. EZPR treats AI not as some unfathomable otherworldly phenomenon, but as a viable, working concept that’s here to solve real-world problems.

In an era trembling with AI-pretenders and ‘snake oil’ salesmen, EZPR’s approach is a breath of fresh air for any tech firm wanting to strip away the hyperboles and cut to the chase. This approach brings together the true potentials of AI and the authentic narrative that tech enthusiasts and potential investors are craving for. The takeaway? A solid, credible PR strategy that values truth over smoke and mirrors — a refreshing, perhaps even revolutionary, perspective in an industry notorious for spinning an elaborate web of hype and hullabaloo.

But let’s be clear here, the approach is not without its critics. There’s an entire armada of old-school PR practitioners who’ll tell you that Zitron-style blunt honesty is a risky game. The industry is rigged with carefully crafted narratives jostling for attention; meddling with the established order might spark a rebellion, they say. But then again, Zitron probably likes a good rebellion. After all, in a world dominated by cookie-cutter approaches, isn’t it refreshing to see someone daring to be different?

Read the original article here: https://www.wired.com/story/ai-pr-ed-zitron-profile/