FIR #515: Agents Everywhere

About this episode

The episode discusses the rise of AI agents in organizations, the governance challenges they present, and the implications for communicators.

Employees at the Pentagon have spun up over 100,000 AI agents. In the private sector, we’re seeing reports of 10,000 or more agents being deployed by employees at a variety of companies. The problem is that most organizations lack governance to address agents, and the problems this explosion of agents operating on employees’ behalf can cause are innumerable. In the long-form FIR episode for May 2026, Neville and Shel delve into the rise of agents, the harms they could cause, what companies should do to ensure these agents deliver benefits rather than problems, and how communicators can take a leading role in addressing the issue. Also in this episode: AI copyright lawsuits are coming for communicators Google’s search overhaul could signal a post-citation era Placing your thought newsmakers, thought leaders, and subject matter experts on podcasts is becoming a standard media relations practice “I worked all weekend” is no longer an argument for the fees you charge Short-form video clippers are creating go-to content from long-form videos — including yours Dan York outlines the big enhancements in WordPress 7.0 Links from this episode Slopaganda…

People in this episode

Hosts: Neville, Shel

Topics covered

• AI agents
• governance
• copyright lawsuits
• media relations
• content creation
• technology

Keywords

• AI agents
• Pentagon
• governance
• copyright lawsuits
• media relations
• WordPress 7.0
• content creation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pentagon, Google

Products: WordPress 7.0

Books & works: Slopaganda, the New Rules of Narrative Warfare, AI Copyright Lawsuits Pose Growing Risk for Communicators, Practical Considerations for Managing IP Risk in AI-Generated Content, Best Practices for Mitigating Copyright Risks in AI-Generated Content, AI in Litigation Series: An Update on AI Copyright Cases in 2026

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• FIR #517: How to Communicate AI Whiplash to Employees · June 9, 2026 · 26 min
• ALP 308: Using AI to extend your agency’s PESO Model expertise · June 8, 2026 · 21 min
• FIR #516: Your New Shadow Website · June 2, 2026 · 22 min
• ALP 307: What to do when a client “fires” your agency · June 1, 2026 · 24 min
• Episode #2: There Is No Table · May 30, 2026 · 33 min