Study: Generative Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Can Help Diverse Communities Prepare for Florida Hurricanes
A new study has found that generative artificial intelligence chatbots can help individuals from different racial groups prepare for hurricanes in Florida.
The findings by University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Advertising Assistant Professor Yuan Sun, and Public Relations Associate Professor Wenlin Liu, University of North Carolina Assistant Professor Xinyan Zhao and North Carolina State University Assistant Professor Chau-Wai Wong are featured in “Tailoring Generative AI Chatbots for Multiethnic Communities in Disaster Preparedness Communication: Extending the CASA Paradigm” published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Vol. 30, Issue 1, January 2025.
The authors studied how generative AI chatbots, created using GPT-4, used different tones to tailor their message to fit recipients from different cultural backgrounds.
According to the authors, “Our results show that chatbots with an informal tone are seen as more friendly, whereas those with either a formal tone or one that fits people’s cultural backgrounds are seen as more credible. Credible chatbots encourage people to seek, share, and act on disaster information. Overall, the chatbots can create human-like and culturally-sensitive disaster communication for diverse communities.”
They add, “This study enriches the ‘Computers as Social Actors’ (CASA) paradigm within the context of disaster communication and vulnerability and reveals the potential of generative AI chatbots in experimental designs. While humanizing chatbots through an informal tone can increase their perceived friendliness, it may also undermine their credibility and the effectiveness of disaster preparedness outcomes.”
Posted: January 27, 2025
Category: College News
Tagged as: Advertising, Generative AI Chatbots, Hurricane Preparedness, Public Relations, Wenlin Liu, Yuan Sun
