Impact and use of artificial intelligence in risk communication: challenges and new opportunities

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having a growing impact on society, and its presence is increasing in many areas. At the same time, risk communication has been gaining prominence and importance in both society, especially in the wake of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and academia. In view of the magnitude of both phenomena, this article aims to identify the different points and aspects where they converge, as well as the potential theoretical and practical implications of AI in risk communication. To this end, we carried out an exploratory, systematic review of the scientific literature from a holistic perspective, taking a mixed methods approach that considered both quantitative and qualitative aspects in order to analyse the state of academic research and its implications. The results show a marked increase in scientific production that addresses both concepts jointly, particularly from 2019 onward, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic, with this risk being the main subject of study. Moreover, social networks, especially X (formerly Twitter), emerge as the most interesting platforms for research, while other platforms receive a lower level of attention. Our findings suggest that AI has a dual impact on risk communication, presenting both challenges by generating new risk scenarios, and opportunities by providing new methods that allow new horizons to be explored. Finally, different theoretical and practical implications arise from this research, and it is necessary to address the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities provided by AI to improve risk communication