AI and Strategic Communication

Provides an essential guide to AI’s impact on PR practices, ethics, and societal implications

As AI technologies continue to evolve, communication professionals must understand their profound effects on media relations, activism, and digital engagement. AI and Strategic Communication: Navigating the Future offers a comprehensive exploration of AI’s role in reshaping public relations, bringing together contributions from leading scholars and practitioners from 9 countries across 5 continents, with representation from Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia, this comprehensive volume addresses the ethical implications, challenges, and opportunities AI presents for individuals, organizations, and society.

Covering topics such as AI-driven crisis communication, algorithmic bias, and human-robot interactions, the authors provide both theoretical frameworks and actionable strategies to help readers navigate the AI-driven landscape. The book is structured into three distinct sections, each addressing AI’s impact at different levels of communication, including individual, professional and organizational, and society levels. The opening section explores personal experiences with AI, followed by an examination of AI’s transformative role in public relations and strategic communication, including crisis management, employee communication, and AI-augmented content creation. The concluding section delves into the broader implications of AI on democracy, media ethics, and cultural biases.

Offering expert guidance for integrating AI tools responsibly while addressing privacy concerns and ethical dilemmas, AI and Strategic Communication:

• Presents cutting-edge research from experts in AI, PR, and media ethics
• Discusses emerging AI-driven technologies and their implications for PR professionals
• Discusses AI’s impact on democracy, misinformation, and truth in public discourse
• Includes a forward-looking analysis of AI’s evolving role in communication
• Offers recommendations for future research and professional adaptation
• Features research-backed insights, practical strategies, and real-world case studies

With a multidisciplinary approach to communication in the digital age, AI and Strategic Communication: Navigating the Future is essential reading for students, educators, and industry professionals looking to stay ahead in the evolving field of strategic communication. It is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on digital communication and social media, communication ethics and technology, advanced public relations, and strategic communication.

Yang (Alice) Cheng is an Associate Professor, Co-Director of Center for AI in Society and Ethics at North Carolina State University and one of Stanford University’s top 2% most-cited scholars. Specializing in AI, crisis communication, and relationship management, she has authored more than 75 journal articles and 25 book chapters and has received over ＄2 million in research funding. Her work has earned numerous awards, and she has lectured at top institutions worldwide.

Dejan Verčič is a Professor and Head of the Centre for Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Ljubljana. A Fulbright scholar and PhD graduate of the London School of Economics, he specializes in globalization, internal communication, and strategic PR. He is a past president of EUPRERA and an organizer of the annual BledCom symposium on communication and public relations.