How Intel’s Erica Pereira Kubr forecasts PR’s future

On Oct 3, 2019

How will artificial intelligence reshape the communications industry?

A field that has already been extremely disrupted by technology, particularly social media, seems like it could feel the influence of AI but that doesn’t have to be scary, according to Erica Pereira Kubr, director of executive communications for Intel.

An exercise enthusiast who works hard to help transform her workplace, Kubr sees more change coming to the communications sphere but she says her team and cup of coffee can make it fly by.

Here are her answers as part of our Day in the Life series:

1. What time do you wake up?

I wake up around 5 a.m. to hit the gym before work. I’m healing from an injury now, so my workouts are slightly modified, but I’m a gym rat.

2. How many cups of coffee do you drink a day?

I try to stop at two and hydrate as much as possible throughout the day. I’m known for carrying a water bottle around.

3. Who is the most important person at work you talk to during your day?

My partners in crime the people who help me get the work done. They sit across multiple teams, and we come together to execute on big projects across the company.

4. What’s one tool that you couldn’t live without? Why?

Intel Unite it’s an app developed by our engineers that allows different teams to collaborate from wherever we may be. This has become one of my favorite productivity hacks, as it allows me to collaborate in real time and leave meetings with revised decks done. The best part? It doesn’t crash, and it doesn’t take forever to launch.

5. What’s the last thing you do before finishing your work day?

I check my to-do list to make sure the most important things got done. I also add items that were not on my initial list in the morning and cross them off for additional satisfaction.

6. What keeps you up at night?

Intel is in the middle of a transformation from a PC-centric to a data-centric company, and evolving our culture is a big piece of it. I ask myself: “Is communications helping our employees understand the business strategy, the new cultural attributes, and how they connect to it? Am I doing my part to help accelerate our journey?”

7. What trend or change is the next big thing in communications and/or your industry?

I believe AI will have a big impact on how we think about communications. With more data available and the ability to capture insights in real time, the role of communications as a function will need to evolve and become even more data-driven and strategic. In a connected and rapidly changing world, we will be able to make smarter decisions and move faster. For example, if AI models can better capture changes in how consumers perceive our brands and emerging trends, we will have the opportunity to better anticipate and react to new opportunities and fix issues way faster than before.

8. Anything else you want to share?

I have been a part of many high-performing teams in my career, and they all had one thing in common inclusion. People with different backgrounds were welcome and given the space to contribute and make the overall thinking better. They also made work more enjoyable. I would love to see more underrepresented minorities choosing communications as a career. But we need to seek them and promote our craft, as many don’t even know communications can be an exciting career path. I am thankful to the people who gave me a chance and took me under their wings. All it takes is one person.