Summary pre-conference Division Organizational Communication
On February 3, NeFCA’s Organizational Communication Division organized a pre-conference about emerging technologies in organizational communication in Bruges. The pre-conference preceded the annual Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap. We very much enjoyed the interesting presentations and the thoughtful discussions between the presenters and audience about the use and implications of AI and chatbots in organizational communication.
Three academics and one practitioner discussed the positive and negatives ways in which technologies such as AI shape the way organizations communicate with stakeholders:
- Theo Araujo (University of Amsterdam) reflected on three main developments that shape the technological turn in communication by and about organizations: digitalization, computation, and the increasing prominence of AI.
- Christine Liebrecht (Tilburg University) and Charlotte van Hooijdonk (Utrecht University) discussed the Smooth Operator project, in which they examine the factors that contribute to the experience of conversational AI as personal and cooperative communication partners by both service employees and customers.
- Communication consultant Andries Fluit (Akkanto) provided insight into a framework that his agency developed for responsible AI-adoption in communication practice and explained how AI can be a powerful aid during crises.
