Generative AI technologies promise to make editorial work easier and are already being used by many people and institutions in the science sector. However, the effects on formats and their use in science communication are not yet fully foreseeable. What trends are emerging and what skills will communicators need in future in order to be prepared for these changes? What considerations need to be made before and during use in view of concerns about data protection, factuality and the opacity of AI systems?
Dr Esther Greussing (Technical University of Braunschweig) and Dr Justus Henke (University of Halle) provided insights into their research and engaged in dialogue with the participants.
Esther Greussing is researching the role of non-human actors in the communication process. She is analysing the conditions and effects of their use in the context of the knowledge society.
The results highlighted that the greater personalisation and dialogue capabilities of chatbots and programmes such as ChatGPT can make it easier for people to access academic content, but that AI-generated content is also viewed with scepticism, especially when it comes to topics with a higher personal risk.
From the perspective of higher education research, Justus Henke presented the results of a study that surveyed the use of generative AI tools at German universities in 2023 and 2024. A very large increase in text-generating technologies was recorded, while image and video generation still played a lesser role. He argued in favour of creatively planning the use of such services in university communication and using time savings in routine work for innovative formats.
Upcoming events
In the next two modules, other experts will go into more detail about the possibilities for creating textual and visual content. Registration is already open.
- Module 2: Artificial intelligence in science communication - good texts at the touch of a button? Date: 18 June 2025, 14:00 to 16:00 Further information
- Module 3: Artificial intelligence in science communication - Visualising research with AI tools Date: 5 November 2025, 14:00 to 16:00 Further information
