A Guide to AI Relations: The Most Overlooked Role in AI Right Now
Why startups are hiring for AIRel—and how to break in before the wave hits
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What if I told you there’s a role in AI that:
Doesn’t require you to read research papers every week
Lets you work with top-tier startups or Big Tech—your call
Pays you to attend conferences, dinners, and elite gatherings
Builds your network faster than any grad program or cold DM ever could
Works even if you’re early in your career, or pivoting midstream
And just so happens to be one of the most recession-proof jobs in AI
You’d probably assume it’s a scam. It’s not.
It’s called AI Relations—the strategic descendant of DevRel, and the role AI companies are quietly hiring for at increasing velocity even as the market is dominated with news of layoffs and hiring freezes.
A while back, I wrote a short primer on this trend. Since then, the interest has only grown. Recruiters, founders, and investors are all asking the same thing: “Who’s going to help us stand out in a world full of identical AI products?”
This article is my deeper breakdown of that question, and the role best positioned to answer it. We’ll cover:
What AI Relations actually is—and why it’s not just DevRel with a new name
The two kinds of AIRel work, organized by their role in the ecosystem (inward vs outward facing)
Why this role is exploding right now—especially in a fragmented, copycat-riddled AI economy
Why AIRel is one of the few jobs that gets more important in downturns
And how to break in: playbooks, platforms, and the exact growth tactics I’ve used to scale this newsletter by 1,000+ new subscribers per week
If you want to be in AI—but you’re not an engineer, not a researcher, and not sitting on $10M in dry powder—this might be the most powerful move you can make.
Let’s break it open.
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Executive Highlights (TL;DR of the article)
What is AIRel: A high-leverage role bridging product, narrative, and user trust in AI companies. Not marketing. Not DevRel. Strategic communication and perception shaping.
Two Core Modes:
Inward-facing: Translate internal progress into adoption (demos, guides, onboarding).
Outward-facing: Capture user signal, guide product and messaging (support, feedback loops, user trust).
Why It Matters:
AI markets are flooded with copycats.
Product ≠ differentiation. Narrative and support are.
In downturns, AIRel drives growth, retention, and trust.
For individuals, AIRel builds network, public proof, and long-term leverage.
How to Break In (Comms Strategy):