PMI's Global Communications Chief Highlights AI-Driven Content Strategy and Smoke-Free Shift

Moira Gilchrist, who leads global communications for Philip Morris International, explained that the firm leverages AI to create synthetic audience personas, allowing it to refine its messaging before public release. She highlighted the growing importance of the corporate website, which is being tuned for generative AI retrieval so that large language models convey correct facts about PMI's shift toward smoke-free products such as Zyn and Iqos.

Gilchrist noted that this focus on owned channels replaces traditional search-engine optimization with "generative engine optimization." The company also began publishing internal metrics externally, revealing that smoke-free alternatives now account for 43% of net revenues in Q1 2026, a significant rise from the launch of its first such product in Japan in 2015. She expressed pride in the progress while acknowledging further work remains. The interview underscored PMI's broader strategy to use AI tools across its communications and business reporting.