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AI, is it an asset or a threat to communicators? : A qualitative study on communicators' perspectives and experiences of AI

Historically, the evolution of artificial intelligence has predominantly revolved around endeavors such as the innovation of intelligent vehicular systems and sophisticated refrigeration appliances, among other advancements. Contemporary advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly in generative technologies, have brought communicative practices in focus, with generative text as the latest trending technology within AI. Consequently, numerous stakeholders within the communications sector suggest that the increase of generative AI has caused an existential dilemma regarding professional identity and function. This study aims to explore how individual communicators within the profession perceive and adapt to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the production of an organization's communications. To fulfill this purpose, the following research questions were formulated: How do individuals in the communication profession define AI within the context of their profession? How do individual within the communication profession understand AI as reshaping the profession? What do communicators see as the key challenges and opportunities when incorporating AI into the creation and dissemination of an organization's communication? The theories that is used to create the study’s theoretical framework is professionalization, strategic communication, technological acceptance model and technological determinism. A qualitative method was chosen for this study with in-depth interviews of a semi-structured nature and to supplement and broaden the perspectives obtained from the interviews, podcasts have also been used. The study’s findings shows that communicators tend to define AI as a valuable resource within their profession. For them, AI not only represents advanced technology but also an opportunity to streamline and improve communication work. By integrating AI into the communication process, they experience a change in workflow and tasks. It appears that AI does not replace the work of communicators, but rather complements it. The main challenges that communicators identify when incorporating AI are the balance between human creativity and technological efficiency, as well as the ethical and practical issues associated with AI use. It is clear that AI integration is not only about incorporating new tools, but rather about reshaping the entire communication landscape and redefining the role and practice of the communicator.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-532244
Date January 2024
CreatorsEricson, Johanna
PublisherUppsala universitet, Institutionen för informatik och media
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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