Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)
Apr 14, 2025

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Artificial Intelligence, and particularly generative AI that produces novel outputs based on user prompts fundamentally impacts science communication. It can assist practitioners in generating content or identifying new ideas and trends, translating and preparing scientific results and publications for different channels and audiences, and enabling interactive exchanges with various user groups. It also comes with pronounced challenges, from errors and “hallucinations” in AI outputs over new digital divides all the way to ethical and legal concerns. The Special Issue brings together cutting-edge research assessing the role of AI in science communication, discussing communication about AI, communication with AI, the impact of AI technologies on the larger science communication ecosystem and potential theoretical and methodological implications.

 

Editorials

Apr 14, 2025 Editorial
Science communication in the age of artificial intelligence

by Sabrina Heike Kessler, Daniela Mahl, Mike S. Schäfer and Sophia C. Volk

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally transforming science communication. This editorial for the JCOM Special Issue “Science Communication in the Age of AI” explores the implications of AI, especially generative AI, for science communication, its promises and challenges. The articles in this Special Issue can be categorized into four key areas: (1) communication about AI, (2) communication with AI, (3) the impact of AI on science communication ecosystems, and (4) AI’s influence on science, theoretical and methodological approaches. This collection of articles advances empirical and theoretical insight into AI’s evolving role in science communication, emphasizing interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Articles

Apr 14, 2025 Article
Negotiating AI(s) futures: competing imaginaries of AI by stakeholders in the US, China, and Germany

by Vanessa Richter, Christian Katzenbach and Jing Zeng

This paper examines how artificial intelligence (AI) imaginaries are negotiated by key stakeholders in the United States, China, and Germany, focusing on how public perceptions and discourses shape AI as a sociotechnical phenomenon. Drawing on the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries in public communication, the study explores how stakeholders from industry, government, academia, media and civil society actively co-construct and contest visions of the future of AI. The comparative analysis challenges the notion that national perceptions are monolithic, highlighting the complex and heterogeneous discursive processes surrounding AI. The paper utilises stakeholder interviews to analyse how different actors position themselves within these imaginaries. The analysis highlights overarching and sociopolitically diverse AI imaginaries as well as sectoral and stakeholder co-dependencies within and across the case study countries. It hence offers insights into the socio-political dynamics that influence AI’s evolving role in society, thus contributing to debates on science communication and the social construction of technology.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
“Away from this duty of chronicler and towards the unicorn”: How German science journalists assess their future with (generative) Artificial Intelligence

by Lars Guenther, Jessica Kunert and Bernhard Goodwin

The advent of generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) is expected to have a significant impact on journalism. In this study, we address whether this development could help mitigate the crisis in science journalism. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 German science journalists, asking them about the potential impact genAI may have on the news-making process (i.e., selection, production, and distribution). The results suggest that interviewees anticipate many future benefits associated with genAI, some believe that the technology is unlikely to worsen the crisis in science journalism, while others express concerns about potential negative consequences (e.g., job loss).

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
The new normal: The increasing adoption of generative AI in university communication

by Justus Henke

This study examines the adoption of generative AI (genAI) tools in German university communication departments using 2023 and 2024 survey data. Adoption has significantly increased in 2024, particularly for text generation, with private universities leading the way. Efficiency gains are evident, but issues with factual accuracy and data privacy persist. The findings highlight a transition from cautious experimentation to mainstream integration of genAI in communication strategies, though ethical concerns remain. Communication departments face the challenge of balancing genAI’s efficiency benefits with the need to uphold quality, individuality, and privacy.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
Exploring temporal and cross-national patterns: The use of generative AI in science-related information retrieval across seven countries

by Esther Greussing, Lars Guenther, Ayelet Baram-Tsabari, Shakked Dabran-Zivan, Evelyn Jonas, Inbal Klein-Avraham, Monika Taddicken, Torben Agergaard, Becca Beets, Dominique Brossard, Anwesha Chakraborty, Antoinette Fage-Butler, Chun-Ju Huang, Siddharth Kankaria, Yin-Yueh Lo, Lindsey Middleton, Kristian H. Nielsen, Michelle Riedlinger and Hyunjin Song

This study explores the role of ChatGPT in science-related information retrieval, building on research conducted in 2023. Drawing on online survey data from seven countries—Australia, Denmark, Germany, Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States—and two data collection points (2023 and 2024), the study highlights ChatGPT’s growing role as an information intermediary, reflecting the rapid diffusion of generative AI (GenAI) in general. While GenAI adoption is a global phenomenon, distinct regional variations emerge in the use of ChatGPT for science-related searches. Additionally, the study finds that a specific subset of the population is more likely to use ChatGPT for science-related information retrieval. Across all countries surveyed, science-information seekers report higher levels of trust in GenAI compared to non-users. They also exhibit a stronger understanding of how (Gen)AI works and, with some notable exceptions, show greater awareness of its epistemic limitations.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
“ChatGPT, is the influenza vaccination useful?” Comparing perceived argument strength and correctness of pro-vaccination-arguments from AI and medical experts

by Selina A. Beckmann, Elena Link and Marko Bachl

Realizing the ascribed potential of generative AI for health information seeking depends on recipients’ perceptions of quality. In an online survey (N = 294), we aimed to investigate how German individuals evaluate AI-generated information compared to expert-generated content on the influenza vaccination. A follow-up experiment (N = 1,029) examined the impact of authorship disclosure on perceived argument quality and underlying mechanisms. The findings indicated that expert arguments were rated higher than AI-generated arguments, particularly when authorship was revealed. Trust in science and the Standing Committee on Vaccination accentuated these differences, while trust in AI and innovativeness did not moderate this effect.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
More than humanoid robots and cyborgs? How German print media visualize articles on artificial intelligence

by Melanie Leidecker-Sandmann, Tabea Lüders, Carolin Moser, Vincent Robert Boger and Markus Lehmkuhl

Engaging with the ongoing debate regarding the portrayal of artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sphere – particularly the alleged predominance of sci-fi imagery and humanoid robots – our study examines how six German print media visualize articles related to AI. A mixed-methods approach combines qualitative and quantitative visual content analysis, analyzing 818 images from articles published in 2019 and 2022/23. Our findings indicate that human figures, rather than robots, serve as dominant visual objects, and no pronounced gaps between textual and visual representations of AI were observed. Overall, German print media appear to present a differentiated perspective on AI, balancing opportunities and risks associated with this technology.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
Contesting dominant AI narratives on an industry-shaped ground: public discourse and actors around AI in the french press and social media (2012-2022)

by Panos Tsimpoukis

This paper studies how artificial intelligence was set to the agenda in the press and social media in France. By simultaneously analysing the framing of AI and the key actors who dominated the discourse on this technology in the national press and on the X and Facebook platforms, the study highlights, on the one hand, the influence of digital companies and government narratives, and on the other, the presence of alternative stakeholder perspectives that diverge from dominant discourses and contribute to political polarisation on AI-related issues such as facial recognition. Our study sheds light on how AI framing can highlight dominant and alternative narratives and visions and may contribute to the consolidation of socio-technical imaginaries in the French public sphere.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
ChatGPT’s Potential for Quantitative Content Analysis: Categorizing Actors in German News Articles

by Clarissa Hohenwalde, Melanie Leidecker-Sandmann, Nikolai Promies and Markus Lehmkuhl

We assessed ChatGPT's ability to identify and categorize actors in German news media articles into societal groups. Through three experiments, we evaluated various models and prompting strategies. In experiment 1, we found that providing ChatGPT with codebooks designed for manual content analysis was insufficient. However, combining Named Entity Recognition with an optimized prompt for actor Classification (NERC pipeline) yielded acceptable results. In experiment 2, we compared the performance of gpt-3.5-turbo, gpt-4o, and gpt-4-turbo, with the latter performing best, though challenges remained in classifying nuanced actor categories. In experiment 3, we demonstrated that repeating the classification with the same model produced highly reliable results, even across different release versions.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
Behind the Screens: How Algorithmic Imaginaries Shape Science Content on Social Media

by Clarissa Elisa Walter and Sascha Friesike

Based on an ethnography of the development and production of science YouTube videos – a collaboration between a German public broadcaster and social science scholars – we identify three intermediary steps through which recommendation algorithms shape science content on social media. We argue that algorithms induce changes to science content through the power they exert over the content's visibility on social media platforms. Change is driven by how practitioners interpret algorithms, infer content strategies to enhance visibility, and adjust content creation practices accordingly. By unpacking these intermediate steps, we reveal the nuanced mechanisms by which algorithms indirectly shape science content.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Apr 14, 2025 Article
Balancing realism and trust: AI avatars In science communication

by Jasmin Baake, Josephine Schmitt and Julia Metag

AI-generated avatars in science communication offer potential for conveying complex information. However, highly realistic avatars may evoke discomfort and diminish trust, a key factor in science communication. Drawing on existing research, we conducted an experiment (n = 491) examining how avatar realism and gender impact trustworthiness (expertise, integrity, and benevolence). Our findings show that higher realism enhances trustworthiness, contradicting the Uncanny Valley effect. Gender effects were dimension-specific, with male avatars rated higher in expertise. Familiarity with AI and institutional trust also shaped trust perceptions. These insights inform the design of AI avatars for effective science communication while maintaining public trust.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

Essays

Apr 14, 2025 Essay
All Eyez on AI: A Roadmap for Science Communication Research in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

by Sabrina Heike Kessler, Daniela Mahl, Mike S. Schäfer and Sophia C. Volk

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is profoundly reshaping the field of science communication research. We conducted a literature review of 35 articles published between 2002 and 2024, which reveals that research on AI in science communication is still in its infancy but growing, predominantly concentrated in Western contexts, and methodologically inclined toward quantitative approaches. The field largely focuses on communication about AI and public perceptions of AI rather than analyzing actual engagement with generative AI or its systemic impact on science communication ecosystems. To address these gaps, we propose a research agenda centered on four key areas: (1) communication about AI, (2) communication with AI, (3) the impact of AI on science communication ecosystems, and (4) AI’s influence on science, theoretical and methodological approaches.

Volume 24 • Issue 02 • 2025 • Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Science Communication & AI)

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