Vol. 40 No. 76 (2024): The Communicative Dynamics of AI in Datafied Societies

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only shaping communication processes but is also actively contributing to and participating in them. AI communicates with us in form of chatbots, about us through prediction and surveillance models and instead of us as automatic content generators. Consequently, contemporary AI applications alter communication processes in datafied societies profoundly. Not only in terms of how communication happens, but also in relation to what it means to communicate, how communication is constituted, and with whom we are able to communicate. Recent AI developments in general and generative AI (GenAI) in particular, are challenging media and communication scholars to re-examine established media and communication theory as well as to re-think the notion of communication.

This themed issue addresses related knowledge gaps and contributes with conceptual and empirical studies that examine and reflect on the role of (Gen)AI in various communication processes, applications, and organizational environments. The issues’ contributions nuance and detail the interplay between humans and AI at the intersection of critical AI and communication studies. The critical perspectives shared in this issue address not only the multifacetedness of AI in datafied societies. They also examine how these technologies influence the social fabric and the everyday lives of individuals, organizations, and society at large, assessing and discussing both the opportunities and risks associated with the pervasive presence of AI in various contexts.