Breuklander Communications has released "The State of Communication Readiness in 2026," a multi-organization study that exposes a significant disconnect between rising executive expectations for AI integration in communications and the actual confidence levels within communication teams. Drawing from workshops, readiness assessments, surveys, advisory engagements, and controlled experiments conducted in 2024–2025, the report reveals that while communicators rate AI as highly urgent (7.4/10) and valuable (8.1/10), their self-reported confidence in using it effectively stands at just 4.2/10.
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The report identifies confidence—not access to tools or budgets—as the primary barrier preventing communication teams from effectively incorporating AI into strategy and daily operations. Wide internal confidence disparities persist even in teams with shared resources, policies, and training, resulting in operational inconsistencies and heightened risk for communication leaders.
"Leaders are asking communication teams to adopt AI rapidly, but the capability structure isn't there," said Bo Breuklander, founder and principal of Breuklander Communications, university instructor, and author of the report. "This gap is widening faster than leaders realize. Without clarity, structure, and shared confidence, teams will fail to keep pace with the increased pressure and expectations."
While workshop discussions emphasized avoiding mistakes and reputational harm, anonymous data highlighted growing job displacement fears as a significant undercurrent. Both concerns stem from the same core issue: insufficient clarity, guardrails, and organizational support for responsible AI use.
Communicators consistently requested practical structure rather than additional technology. Top priorities include role-specific use cases and examples, defined boundaries for acceptable AI application, criteria for evaluating output quality, and a cohesive framework for integrating AI into communication workflows. Requests for more tools ranked notably low amid existing platform fatigue.
Organizations with formal AI policies show more consistent adoption and marginally higher confidence, but progress plateaus without ongoing enablement, deliberate practice, and explicit leadership guidance. Meanwhile, controlled experiments demonstrated substantial advancements in AI model performance between 2024 and 2025, suggesting teams may underestimate the pace of technological progress.
To bridge the readiness gap, the report introduces the Communication Intelligence Framework™, a four-part leadership system focused on:
Breuklander describes the framework as "a system for leaders who need clarity, direction, and structure without adding more tools to the mix."
The findings underscore the need for communication leaders to prioritize capability-building, shared confidence, and structured enablement to meet escalating AI expectations while mitigating operational and reputational risks.
About Breuklander Communications
Breuklander Communications is a strategic communications and AI advisory firm based in Tampa, Fla. The firm provides clear, steady guidance for communications leaders in an AI-shaped world, helping corporate communications executives at mid- to large B2B organizations navigate complexity through strategic advisory, narrative foresight, and responsible innovation. Breuklander Communications also equips communication leaders, teams, and entrepreneurs to reduce workload, improve confidence, and enhance decision-making through AI-powered systems, training, and advisory support.
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