Brussels is home to thousands of public affairs consultants who help companies deal with EU institutions. Many of these workers help clients understand new rules and connect with lawmakers. Now artificial intelligence is starting to change how this work gets done.
Young professionals in the city already struggle to find jobs. Many arrive as interns hoping to build a career in EU policy work. Some have done four or five internships without landing a permanent role.
AI tools are now taking over some of the basic tasks junior staff used to handle. This includes tracking policy news and writing briefing notes for clients. These tasks were often the starting point for young consultants building experience.
One consultant told Euractiv she has started rethinking her career path. She has a stable job but worries about what the future holds. She said becoming a paramedic in her home country takes five years, a fact she looked up while considering other options.
AI Takes Over Monitoring Work
Mark Dober, a headhunter who studies AI use in public affairs, said the Brussels job market may handle AI change better than other industries. He compared it to when the internet first arrived in the field years ago.
Back then, workers feared job losses too. Instead, the internet changed how tasks got done without wiping out the profession.
Dober believes AI will free up time for consultants to focus on strategy work. But he said junior positions could shrink as companies want more senior level advice.
Teams used to include a mix of junior and senior staff. Dober said clients may now prefer fewer junior workers and more experienced consultants who can guide lobbying strategy directly.
FleishmanHillard, a large public affairs firm in Brussels, already uses AI for monitoring tasks. A senior consultant there said this gives junior staff more time to build relationships with policymakers instead of doing repetitive research.
New AI-First Consulting Firms Emerge
Not everyone sees AI as a threat to their business. New firms built entirely around AI tools are opening in Brussels.
Danish firm Spaak and Belgian firm PoliVue both offer automated policy tracking and analysis. Spaak's chief executive, Arthur Storm Teglbjærg, said the company now has more than 100 customers. Revenue has roughly tripled in less than a year.
Teglbjærg said AI will change how all consulting work gets done, not just public affairs. He compared it to changes coming for law firms and management consulting firms as well.
Alan Hardacre, who runs a training platform for public affairs professionals, said the industry is still early in adopting AI. He described current use as experimentation rather than a core part of daily work.
Hardacre said he searched recent job listings for public affairs roles. He found only one that listed AI skills as a requirement for the position.
Industry professionals suggest young workers focus on skills AI cannot easily replace. This includes building trust with policymakers and handling in-person meetings.
Teglbjærg said creating value through direct human contact will matter more as AI tools improve. He said workers need to focus on tasks that happen away from a computer screen.
