We started the biggest AI event cycle of 2026 this week at NVIDIA GTC in San Jose, with RSAC™ Conference and HumanX in San Francisco soon to follow. And while the tech world focuses on NVIDIA’s dominance in the chip market, or shudders at the prospect of AI-powered social engineering attacks, mainstream audiences are concerned about one major issue impacting their lives: affordability.
“Affordability” is the watchword of 2026 as the midterm elections push the price of everything to the forefront. You can’t turn on the TV without a news story about inflation, interest rates, or, with conflict in the Middle East, the cost of oil.
Healthcare, groceries, housing, electricity – everything feels more expensive right now, and consumers, businesses, and policymakers are taking notice. Heck, even the world’s largest tech companies are bemoaning the lack of affordability of AI infrastructure as they race to build new data centers. With the scrutiny over data center impacts on electricity rates and water usage, every AI company is becoming an energy company, responsible for sponsoring new electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.
As the world focuses on the negatives of AI, including the perceived impacts on privacy, security, labor, and electricity prices, it can be tough to find the positive in storytelling. But the same issues that put “affordability” and the lack thereof in the spotlight also offer an opportunity to talk about how you are increasing affordability in your market.
AI that automates and streamlines elements of healthcare plan administration? Tackling healthcare affordability by reducing costs.
Physical AI that automates aspects of warehouse logistics? Reducing supply chain costs at a time when every product needs it and, yes, making things more affordable.
AI that helps speed drug discovery? Making pharmaceuticals more affordable by reducing R&D costs.
It takes nuanced, authentic communication to talk about AI benefits as job and economic numbers continue to soften. For example, history has shown that with massive increases in efficiency come parallel surges in demand (Jevons paradox), which sparks economic growth and job creation. There are a number of industries today that are massively inefficient and where AI will increase production, thereby driving down costs and creating new jobs. Sometimes the best way to convert cynics and skeptics is to tackle an uncomfortable topic head-on.
On social media, success is predicated on capitalizing on that moment’s trend and leveraging the zeitgeist to your benefit. In earned media, the best stories surprise and counter the current trend. Those are the stories that capture the most engagement and attention in the moment.
In a media universe where the “lack of affordability” is the dominant headline, stories that highlight the opposite are sure to get noticed. Breaking through the noise in corporate PR is not just about understanding the why of your story, but also about how that why should evolve in response to the dominant macro conversations of the moment.
Read the original post on LinkedIn.
