Human communication is and will remain vital in the currently termed Era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The upcoming World News Media Congress, hosted by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), called “Shaping the Future of News Media in the AI Era,” will specifically address AI. This rapidly evolving technology is being implemented across various sectors in a relentless and disruptive manner.

In the realm of communication, AI is a substantial force for change. AI has the potential to transform professional dynamics, journalistic profiles, and the communication model within media companies. (Salaverría, 2024).

Price Waterhouse Coopers estimates that AI would contribute up to 15.7 trillion dollars to the global economy by 2030. However, it also highlights a talent gap of professionals skilled in IT. From this perspective, we assert that significant disruption requires comprehensive training in the transformative capacity of AI, focusing on understanding all its potentialities and responsible use. This responsibility is crucial due to the consequences and effects arising from AI, such as misinformation, deep fakes, and even immersion in echo chambers.

The rapid advancement and widespread adoption of AI evoke both concern about its potential harm and recognition of its constructive possibilities. Professor Ramón Salaverría refers that “This moment of AI demands a deep level of reflection within the profession and the distinction between essential and mechanical tasks”. This combination of enduring values and ever-evolving technologies, he asserts, is the type of flexibility needed in journalism.

Pope Francis turns his attention to humanity as the protagonist. In his message titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Wisdom of the Heart: Toward Fully Human Communication,” broadcast during the World Communications Day 2024, he poses the question: “How can we remain fully human and guide cultural change toward the good?” (aciprensa.com, 24.01.24)

Technology companies are also working on the issue, although technology alone is not sufficient. Meta, Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI would be focused on identifying, labeling, and controlling images, videos, and audios generated by AI that seek to deceive voters. (El Comercio, 14.02.24). However, OpenAI, which will use C2PA in DALL-3 (its image generator), cautions in its statement not to overly rely on its capabilities.

In light of this situation, within the realm of communication, it is crucial to continue researching to fully harness the potential of AI with a critical mindset and ethical intent. From ethical and professional principles, human intelligence must complement artificial intelligence, fostering a constructive perspective for global well-being.

The current issue of the Revista de Comunicación features 27 articles and 2 reviews, contributed by 72 professors from 30 universities across Colombia, Chile, Spain, the United States, Peru, and Portugal.

In the field of journalism, the interest lies in the use of artificial intelligence, coverage of war, international collaborative research, platform utilization, and data mining. Ideas about the potential applications of AI in the media are multiplying, testing the capabilities of generative AI. Professors from the Universidad de Barcelona, in their article titled “The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Newsrooms: Proposals and Limitations”, analyze 32 AI-backed journalistic projects. These applications include (1) automated data collection and documentation, (2) automated content production, and (3) information distribution and audience engagement, while also identifying their limitations. This research contributes evidence to the ongoing debate about the current and future effects of AI in the journalistic sector, with a specific focus

on ethics, specifically addressing its application in the development of journalistic products.

Other researchers from the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, in their article “Artificial Intelligence in the Press: Comparative Study and Exploration of News with ChatGPT in a Traditional and a Digital Native Medium”, aimed to understand the state of AI development in the Spanish digital press and the industry’s perception of its impact on the profession. They also explored a method for detecting human-generated vs. synthetic text to evaluate the use of generative AI in the media. The comparative study between El Mundo and eldiario.es confirms that generative AI is not used to create texts.

The war in Ukraine has made headlines worldwide, and the same is true for the Israel-Hamas conflict. International demand for news coverage on these conflicts is high-it provides frontline information and it is both dangerous and valuable, but also scarce. In an article titled “Behind the Headlines of the War in Ukraine: Newsroom Work Takes Precedence”, professors from the Universidad de Deusto explored the authorship of 11,268 bylines in news articles about Ukraine. These articles were digitally published by Spanish newspapers such as El País, El Mundo, El Correo, and La Vanguardia, as well as by U.S. media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and New York Post. The study focused on the first week of the conflict, and the findings reveal that only 6.84% of the bylines came directly from the war zone.

The potentialities of platforms are gradually revealing application possibilities in various communication fields. Researchers from the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, in their article titled “Journalism on Twitch: An Exploratory Analysis of the first Information Initiatives”, they identify journalistic initiatives driven by media outlets and journalists on Twitch. They also highlight the potentialities of these initiatives for implementation in contemporary journalism. Researcher spotlight that the opportunities for audience engagement are a key element in attracting journalists and media organizations.

International collaborative journalism remains as a relevant proposal in view of the need for robust, high-quality journalism and the increasing scarcity of media’s own investigative teams. In article “The IJ4EU Project as a Strategic Formula for Cross-Border Journalistic Collaboration in the Face of Disintermediation and Misinformation”, professors from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and CEU Cardenal Herrera, advocate for the promotion of collaborative information projects. One such initiative is Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU), a private endeavor backed by the European Union. Its aim is to generate true added value to journalistic content and support the work carried out by journalists. Across the fifteen analyzed projects, more than 40 countries participate, generating information in 22 languages.

Finally, professors from the Universidad Nacional de San Marcos, in the article “Data Mining Applied to the Presidential Speeches of Pedro Castillo Terrones in Peru”, aim to analyze the content of twelve public speeches by the former Peruvian president. Their goal is to determine the underlying message he has attempted to convey to the Peruvian people across all his oficial interventions. They approach this analysis from a statistical and quantitative perspective within the framework of data mining, to address the issue from a fresh angle beyond traditional political analysis.

In Advertising Communication, research focuses on content and key actors. Branded content is an advertising model that, while adopting an informative approach, aims to appear as regular information. From an information ethics perspective, ensuring a clear distinction from commercial content poses a risk, yet it remains a widely practiced approach in the media. Professors from the Universidad de Valencia, in their article titled “Quality Index of Informative

Branded Content in Spain: Criteria and Evaluation”, propose an index of criteria to assess the journalistic quality of such sponsored content. The application of this index to six Spanish digital media outlets reveals minimum standards in informative branded content.

The presence of children in advertising has always been a topic of debate; it has gained even more interest because parents are now directly involved. In their article “Sharenting on Instagram: Abuse of Children’s Presence in Advertising”, researchers from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca aim to verify the presence of brands targeted at minors in the posts of influencer parents. They also analyze the use of children’s image rights and privacy by their parents and determine whether it complies with Spanish legal advertising regulations.

The advertising investment in influencers reached €79.1 million in Spain in 2023. Professors from the Universidad de Extremadura, in the article “Virtual influencers with human appearance as a means of online communication: the case of Lil Miquela and Lu do Magalu on Instagram”, define what virtual influencers with human appearance are and how they operate on Instagram. They analyze how these figures work when collaborating with brands as advertising resources and powerful supports for corporate communication.

Communication is vital in the field of health. Interest in messages aimed at persuading the population to adopt preventive behaviors regarding diseases is growing. Professors from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Universidad de Salamanca, in their article titled “Mechanisms and Effects of Persuasive Messages for Sleep Hygiene Promotion in Weight Control”, conducted two experiments comparing the effects of three types of persuasive messages to promote sleep hygiene. The results indicate that narrative and mixed messages owe their persuasive effectiveness to emotional activation, narrative transportation, and identification with the protagonist.

The consumption of dietary supplements has increased globally. It is important to assess the appropriateness of information received by users. In the article “Profit at the Expense of Health: Irresponsible Corporate Communication in the Supplements Industry”, researchers from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, evaluate transparency in corporate communication among 103 supplement companies, exploring three dimensions of provided information: disclosure, clarity, and precision. The results reveal that legal loopholes have allowed profitability to overshadow ethics.

The communication strategy during COVID-19 vaccination was diverse. Professors from the Universidad del País Vasco and the Bilbao University Business School, in their article titled “Images as a Fundamental Resource for Information during COVID-19 and Vaccination Phases in Spanish Digital Media”, characterized the images accompanying information published in ABC, Deia, EITB.eus, El Correo, elDiario.es, El Mundo, La Razón, La Vanguardia, Naiz, and Público (2020-2022). A total of 15,654 unique images were categorized into 15 clusters using artificial intelligence techniques. These images revealed different narratives and emotional uses, that show a complex scenario.

In organizational communication, Comms management and the use of social media in public administration and brand sustainability are of interest.

Communication management is crucial across all institutions. In the article “Communication Departments in Andalusia: Development and Consolidation (2003-2022)”, professors from the Universidad de Málaga demonstrate that communication management in the region have tripled in the early decades of the 21st century, spanning the public, private, and social sectors. The digitalization of communication has become firmly established within Andalusian organizations.

TikTok, as a communication platform, is experiencing significant growth. Professors from the Universidad de La Rioja and the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, in their article titled “Public Administrations on TikTok: Communication, Narrative, and Posting Frequency of Spanish Ministry Profiles”, analyze the narrative and content on TikTok that public administration uses to communicate with citizens. They also observe the strategic use of profiles in institutional communication. Despite a willingness to adapt, the full potential of this platform

remains untapped.

Instagram, another visual platform, is utilized by brands to showcase themselves as environmentally sustainable companies and advocates for environmental care. Professors from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Villanueva, and Rey Juan Carlos, in their article “Elements, Chromatic Tones, and Visual Strategies in Sustainable Fashion Posts on Instagram”, examine 12,639 posts from 61 brands disseminated on Instagram. They analyze whether there are differences between sustainability-related posts and those that are not. In sustainable content, the trend is to focus less on the product itself and reinforce the sustainable message through images of nature, sports, animals, or food.

The use of social networks and media practices by users is studied from various perspectives. In the article “Media assemblages and educational self-perception: A study of Peruvian users”, professors from the Universidad de Lima, explore the uses and interactions of two social domains-educated and less educated-and compare media practices for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes.

“A professor from the Universidad de Vic, in the article “Vertical Video on Mobile Devices: A Case Study”, examines the expressions of vertical videos across 1,194 audiovisual pieces on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts from the perspective of audiovisual communication. Additionally, professors from the Universidad de los Andes, in the article “My Smartphone and Me: Motivations for Use Among Chilean Youth. A Longitudinal Study”, measure changes in usage and motivations, comparing the years 2009, 2015, and 2023.

Researchers from the universities of Cordoba and Jaen, in the article “Motivations and contradictions in the use of social networks among university students”, analyze these uses through a questionnaire composed of sociodemographic questions and six scales: motivation-

avoidance, motivation-self-expression, satisfaction-addiction, privacy on social networks, image/ video sharing, and digital identity impact. The authors propose promoting the development of a healthier and safer digital identity and fostering ethical and civic values within the virtual world.

In the article “Impact of Twitter Communication on the Environmental Movement during COP15”, a researcher from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid studies the interactions of Twitter users during the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Montreal in 2022. The main objective is to measure the characteristics of the network and identify the key actors in the conversation and the main topics addressed. The highest engagement was generated by messages that were mostly critical and urgent, focused on the need to take concrete action to address the biodiversity and climate change crisis.

In the field of audiovisual communication, research delves into managerial roles, editing in social networks, and television memory. The managerial role of women in production is of interest to professors at the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija. In the article titled “Valeria and Female Leadership in Serial Fiction”, they examine the participation of professional women in the Spanish audiovisual sector. Valeria stands out as the only production with women in all decision-making positions. The consulted professionals provide a positive assessment of performance within an almost exclusively female team, highlighting aspects such as collaboration, work capacity, or subordination of egos to the need for achieving good results.

In the realm of university radio, professors from the Universidad de La Sabana and Antonio de Nebrija address the challenges faced by the director of the Colombian university radio. Their article, “University Radio Direction: A Challenge of Academic and Professional Convergence”, identifies the hurdles encountered by radio directors. They aim to propose a media direction that integrates strategic administrative management with operational tactics, aligning the interests of the university and the medium in content production.

Visualization on social networks is the subject of study for researchers from the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia. In their article titled “YouTube and New Visual Conventions Based on Montage”, they analyze montage techniques and resources used by YouTube content creators.

Their objective is to compare these techniques with conventional rules of cinematographic montage.

And television memory is an important source. Professors from the Universidad Complutense and Salamanca, in their article “The Television Narrative on ETA After the Cessation of Violence: Fiction, Docuseries, and Documentary Reports (2019-2020)”, analyze the “television” narrative constructed about the terrorist group nearly ten years after the end of violence. It is a renewed discourse that builds collective memory for learning and progress towards coexistence and reconciliation.

From an ethical perspective, the interest lies in misinformation in the political sphere and the use of images of minors. In the article “Comparative Analysis of Disseminated Misinformation in Europe Regarding the Death of Queen Elizabeth II”, professors from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid seek to delve into the nature of misinformation in Spain, the United Kingdom, and France between September 8 and September 22, 2022. The content analysis of 76 complete fact-checking publications and surveys of specialized agents reveals that the main theme of the viralized hoaxes centered on conspiracy theories, with Queen Elizabeth II playing a central role.

Professors from the Universidad de Valladolid, in the article “Ethics of Images and Minors: An Analysis of Facebook Posts by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Dedicated to Childhood”, question and analyze the secondary victimization of vulnerable minors and its relationship with audience engagement. They examined 279 photographs published on the official Facebook websites of four NGOs dedicated to childhood in Spain. The study found that illustrative and non-dramatic photographs of minors generate more engagement, avoid symbolic re-victimization, and foster visual cultures of peace for children.

Finally, in the field of Communication Theory, professors from Texas A&M University and the Universidad de la Sabana, in their article titled “Perspectives and Agency in Communication for Development and Social Change in the Americas”, explore multiple perspectives through which Latin American and Anglo-American scholars understand and enact social change. They observe that Latin Americans tend to focus on symbolic representation and group visibility in the media as forms of social change, while Anglo-Americans adopt a broader definition that encompasses social justice, social movement organization, and political activism.

In this era of AI, we will continue to monitor communication as a scientific discipline.

The Editor