Public Relations and Issues of Technological Progress: Communicating the Benefits and Risks of AI and IoT to the Public
Abstract
In an era of rapid technological progress, the presence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has an impact on society. However, along with the benefits, there are also risks and concerns regarding privacy, security and unemployment due to automation. In this context, the role of public relations becomes crucial in communicating accurate and balanced information to the public about the benefits and risks of AI and IoT. This research aims to explore the role of public relations in communicating the benefits and risks of AI and IoT to the public. The main focus is to understand how public relations practitioners can manage effective and transparent messages to form balanced perceptions and deep understanding among the public. The research method used is literature analysis and case studies to understand best practices in public communication about AI and IoT. Interviews with public relations practitioners were also conducted to gain direct insight into strategies and challenges in communicating complex technology issues to the public. The results of this research identify that public relations plays an important role in conveying accurate, clear and trustworthy information about the benefits and risks of AI and IoT to the public. Effective strategies include a narrative-based approach, use of relevant media platforms, and active engagement with stakeholders. The research conclusion is that by implementing best practices in public relations, organizations and institutions can help society to fully understand the impact of AI and IoT. Transparent and open communication can strengthen public trust and minimize unwarranted fears, thereby creating wider acceptance of technological advances.
Full text article
References
Adamson, D., Dyke, G., Jang, H., & Rosé, C. P. (2014). Towards an Agile Approach to Adapting Dynamic Collaboration Support to Student Needs. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 24(1), 92–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-013-0012-6
Agarwal, P., Idrees, S. M., & Obaid, A. J. (2021). Blockchain and IoT Technology in Transformation of Education Sector. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE), 17(12), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i12.25015
Ahmad, S., Jha, S., Abdeljaber, H. A. M., Imam Rahmani, M. K., Waris, M. M., Singh, A., & Yaseen, M. (2022). An Integration of IoT, IoC, and IoE towards Building a Green Society. Scientific Programming, 2022, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2673753
Albahri, A. S., Alwan, J. K., Taha, Z. K., Ismail, S. F., Hamid, R. A., Zaidan, A. A., Albahri, O. S., Zaidan, B. B., Alamoodi, A. H., & Alsalem, M. A. (2021). IoT-based telemedicine for disease prevention and health promotion: State-of-the-Art. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 173, 102873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnca.2020.102873
Ali, M. S., Vecchio, M., Pincheira, M., Dolui, K., Antonelli, F., & Rehmani, M. H. (2019). Applications of Blockchains in the Internet of Things: A Comprehensive Survey. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 21(2), 1676–1717. https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2018.2886932
Anderson, B. (2023). The role of public relations in a counterhegemony: A case study of the 1968 poor people’s campaign. Public Relations Review, 49(4), 102363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102363
Andronie, M., L?z?roiu, G., Iatagan, M., U??, C., ?tef?nescu, R., & Coco?atu, M. (2021). Artificial Intelligence-Based Decision-Making Algorithms, Internet of Things Sensing Networks, and Deep Learning-Assisted Smart Process Management in Cyber-Physical Production Systems. Electronics, 10(20), 2497. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10202497
Asdlori, A. (2023). Learning Media for Islamic Religious Education during a Pandemic: Systematic Literature Review Analysis. International Journal of Social Science and Religion (IJSSR), 235–250. https://doi.org/10.53639/ijssr.v4i2.179
Azionya, C., Oksiutycz, A., & Benecke, D. R. (2019). A model for value based public relations education in a diverse and poly-contextual society. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.04.001
Bartlett, A., Garry, J., & McCambridge, J. (2023). From the tobacco industry’s uses of science for public relations purposes to the alcohol industry: Tobacco industry documents study. Drug and Alcohol Review, 42(5), 1269–1277. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13649
Boon, J., Wynen, J., Daelemans, W., Lemmens, J., & Verhoest, K. (2023). Agencies on the parliamentary radar: Exploring the relations between media attention and parliamentary attention for public agencies using machine learning methods. Public Administration, padm.12963. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12963
Cacciagrano, D., Corradini, F., & Mostarda, L. (2021). Blockchain and IoT Integration for Society 5.0. In A. Gerber & K. Hinkelmann (Eds.), Society 5.0 (Vol. 1477, pp. 1–12). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86761-4_1
Capizzo, L., & Sommerfeldt, E. J. (2023). Cultivating listening spaces for civil society: Reorienting public relations amid Hannah Arendt’s urgent pluralism. Public Relations Review, 49(4), 102351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102351
Dashti, A. A., Gaither, T. K., Al-Kandari, A., Murad, H. A., Almutari, T. M., & Alqahtani, R. (2023). Women’s activism as public relations in a patriarchal society: The case of Kuwait. Public Relations Review, 49(4), 102350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102350
DGVS Vorstandsressort Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit. (2023). Zeitschrift für Gastroenterologie, 61(12), 1663–1664. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2214-0367
Dwivedi, A., Srivastava, G., Dhar, S., & Singh, R. (2019). A Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Healthcare Blockchain for IoT. Sensors, 19(2), 326. https://doi.org/10.3390/s19020326
Floridi, L., Cowls, J., Beltrametti, M., Chatila, R., Chazerand, P., Dignum, V., Luetge, C., Madelin, R., Pagallo, U., Rossi, F., Schafer, B., Valcke, P., & Vayena, E. (2021). An Ethical Framework for a Good AI Society: Opportunities, Risks, Principles, and Recommendations. In L. Floridi (Ed.), Ethics, Governance, and Policies in Artificial Intelligence (Vol. 144, pp. 19–39). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81907-1_3
García, C. (2020). Cardinal Mazarin’s Breviary of politics: Exploring parallelisms between the Baroque and public relations in a post-truth society. Public Relations Inquiry, 9(3), 295–310. https://doi.org/10.1177/2046147X20920805
Gayoso, A. (2023). Understanding Political Public Relations Techniques: An Exploration of Their Value and Function for Political Communication. Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7599-8
Gregory, A. (2023). Metrics, Measurement and Impacts in Public Relations: Ethical Issues in a Changing Context. In L. Brennan, L. Parker, D. Garg, K. Kubacki, M. Jackson, & E. Chorazy, Beyond the Dark Arts (pp. 55–77). WORLD SCIENTIFIC. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811276064_0004
Hassan, A. (2023). Factors Affecting the Practice of Public Relations in the Middle East Institutions. In R. El Khoury & N. Nasrallah (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Innovation in Business and Finance (pp. 639–651). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6101-6_47
La Fors, Dr. K. (2020). Legal Remedies For a Forgiving Society: Children’s rights, data protection rights and the value of forgiveness in AI-mediated risk profiling of children by Dutch authorities. Computer Law & Security Review, 38, 105430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2020.105430
Lane, A. (2023). Towards a theory of organizational storytelling for public relations: An engagement perspective. Public Relations Review, 49(1), 102297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102297
Moloney, K., & McGrath, C. (2019). Rethinking Public Relations: Persuasion, Democracy and Society (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429489310
O’Neill, B., Stapleton, L., Gill, K. S., & Brandt, D. (2020). A Discourse on AI and Society: Your calculus may be greater than his calculus But will it pass the Sullenberger Hudson River test? IFAC-PapersOnLine, 53(2), 17405–17414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2020.12.2096
Onyango, G. (2021). Public Accountability: State-Society Relations in Kenya. In G. Onyango & G. Hyden (Eds.), Governing Kenya (pp. 143–162). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61784-4_9
Roberts, H., Cowls, J., Hine, E., Mazzi, F., Tsamados, A., Taddeo, M., & Floridi, L. (2021). Achieving a ‘Good AI Society’: Comparing the Aims and Progress of the EU and the US. Science and Engineering Ethics, 27(6), 68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-021-00340-7
Shah, Y., Chelvachandran, N., Kendzierskyj, S., Jahankhani, H., & Janoso, R. (2020). 5G Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities with IoT and Smart Societies. In H. Jahankhani, S. Kendzierskyj, N. Chelvachandran, & J. Ibarra (Eds.), Cyber Defence in the Age of AI, Smart Societies and Augmented Humanity (pp. 159–176). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35746-7_9
Smith, J., & Firth, J. (2011). Qualitative data analysis: The framework approach. Nurse Researcher, 18(2), 52–62. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2011.01.18.2.52.c8284
Sohn, K., & Kwon, O. (2020). Technology acceptance theories and factors influencing artificial Intelligence-based intelligent products. Telematics and Informatics, 47, 101324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2019.101324
Tsiourti, C., Weiss, A., Wac, K., & Vincze, M. (2019). Multimodal Integration of Emotional Signals from Voice, Body, and Context: Effects of (In)Congruence on Emotion Recognition and Attitudes Towards Robots. International Journal of Social Robotics, 11(4), 555–573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-019-00524-z
Upadhyay, S., & Upadhyay, N. (2019). Investigating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Usage of Pathos in the Cyber-Physical Society – A Case of Public Relations Campaign. Procedia Computer Science, 162, 400–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.12.003
Yang, A., & Saffer, A. J. (2019). Embracing a network perspective in the network society: The dawn of a new paradigm in strategic public relations. Public Relations Review, 45(4), 101843. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101843
Zinchenko, V., Boichenko, M., Popovych, M., & Polishchuk, O. (2023). Prevention of AI risks for sustainable development of society and post-humanity researches. 020101. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0161321
Authors
Copyright (c) 2024 Rina Juwita, Nurhayai Nurhayai, Dang Syaras, Ratna Rintaningrum, Ade Herliani

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.