PR Ethics in Digital Era: AI's Impact on Integrity and Humanistic Values

Abstract

This research discusses the ethical aspect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in public relations practice especially in investigating how Public Relations (PR) practitioners maintaining the integrity of communication and the human touch when implemented AI in two different sectors; government and corporate. The method used is a qualitative approach with a case study design. The results of the study  find how ethical values are maintained in the process of AI usage. Moreover, it show that the corporate sector have a higher frequency of AI usage than the government sector, although both emphasize the importance of communication ethics such as integrity and responsibility. The utilization of AI in PR practice is analyzed through a normative ethical framework, specifically integrating deontological and teleological perspective, reinforced by the theory of technological determinism. The conclusion of this study emphasizes the importance of collaboration between humans and technology in maintaining normative and humanistic values consideration in their performance and underlines some important ethical applications in the use of AI in PR practice.