AI-Mediated Communication in Academic Organizations

Issues and Directions

Abstract

Central to successful organizational relations and operations among academic organizations is effective communication, recently being reshaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI). While proven advantages of the technology are widely documented in the fields of business, information technology, engineering, and medicine, its potentials within academic environments, where strong critical thinking and human connection are hallmarks of organizational success, remains understudied. Aiming to analyze AI for communications among academic organizations, this quantitative study surveyed 50 academic and administrative managers from various colleges and universities in Calabarzon, the Philippines’ most populous region as of 2020 (Balita 2023), situated in the southern section of its largest island. It was found that respondents use communication channels, specifically collaboration and productivity software and products with built-in AI features. Informed by the General Systems Theory, the Organizational Information Theory (von Bertalanffy 1986; Weick 1993 in West and Turner 2012, 294), and Hancock, Naaman, and Levy’s (2020) AI- mediated communication (AI-MC) framework, the study concludes that AI use among academic organizations is assistive in nature and expedites communication management, specifically message creation and distribution. While deemed promising, AI use in examined organizations poses ethical and functional issues such as inaccessibility and user inexperience, content bias and inaccuracy, constrained capacity to nurture human connection, and data privacy risks. Respondents recommend capacity building efforts and policy implementation to manage said issues and maximize AI use without compromising human agency.