This study aims to investigate how communication specialists perceive the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) within their profession and how these changes affect their professional role. The purpose of the study was achieved by conducting qualitative interviews with eight communication professionals regarding their view on the integration of generative AI within their profession. Particularly, we found it interesting to examine how the communication specialists use generative AI within their professional role, what risks and/or opportunities they identify concerning the use of generative AI tools within the communication profession and what factors they deem as crucial for successfully and effectively integrating AI tools within their professional roles. The theoretical framework of the study consists of diffusion theory, actor-network theory, risk society and reflexive modernity.  The results of the study indicate that communication specialists see several opportunities in integrating generative AI tools into their work. Key opportunities identified included using generative AI for inspiration and automating repetitive tasks, thereby allowing communication professionals to allocate more time to the strategic aspects of their work. There was no expressed concern that generative AI could currently replace the communication specialist’s professional role. Thus, the risks identified did not seem to revolve around the job security of the communication specialists but rather around the uncertainty about how generative AI functions, its capabilities, and how it handles the input data. Therefore, the establishment of clearer guidelines and policies on AI usage was something that the communication specialists in this study expressed a great need for. Additional factors identified by communication specialists as crucial for successful AI integration included individual characteristics such as curiosity, a willingness to learn, and openness to change. Thus, the results of the study indicate that achieving successful and effective integration of generative AI is perceived to be a shared responsibility at both organizational and individual levels.

<p>Validerat; 20101217 (root)</p>

This thesis addresses the local reception and use in Sweden of the major international large scale assessments (ILSAs) of student performance: Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS). The aim is to describe and analyze how Swedish teachers, principals and school directors interpret and possibly use ILSAs in their professional practice. ILSA is treated here as a new idea or a new social technology defining what constitutes good (or bad) education. The theoretical framework combines a top-down perspective provided by Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovation theory, and a complementary, more critical Policy Enactment approach (Ball et al. 2012), stressing the import-ance of context and local actors’ perspectives. Empirically, the thesis is based on 40 semi-structured interviews carried out in the 2011-2012 school year with teachers, principals and municipal school directors in five municipalities and 12 compulsory schools, selected to cover diverse municipalities, schools, and respondents. The respondents perceive ILSAs as valid evaluations of the Swedish school system. Most think it is important to compare results of different nations, although ILSA is not expected to cover the whole curriculum. Most interviewees are aware that Swedish ILSA results have been declining for years and perceive an urgent need to reverse this trend. However, few of the directors, principals or teachers believe that Swedish schools are in a deep crisis, as described in Swedish media. The participants frequently regard schools as primary determinants of ILSA results, and few blame family, socio-economic, cultural and contextual factors for the Swedish decline in ILSA rankings. There are significant differences between the three occupational groups in their reception and use of ILSA. Municipal school directors who are very well-informed emphasize the influence of ILSA on their local development efforts. Principals and teachers say that ILSAs have had modest direct effects on their work, but they argue that poor Swedish results in international assessments have had indirect effects, for instance by prompting the introduction of a new national curriculum. / <p>Contains an English summary.</p>