Exploring the Challenges of Generative AI on Public Sector Communication in Europe

TL;DR

This qualitative study interviews 14 senior public sector communicators in European governments and EU institutions about how generative AI is reshaping public sector communication. It finds GenAI is widely seen as a game-changer for message delivery and content production, with opportunities cited more often than risks, but also with major concerns about disinformation, ethics, transparency, and the need for new competencies.

Key findings

• All interviewees agreed that GenAI represents a game-changer for their profession in message delivery and communication campaign production, requiring a new sense of responsibility and an ethical approach; out of 14 interviews, “AI opportunity” was cited more frequently than “AI risk” in the majority of interviews.
• Opportunities identified included enhancing efficiency in communication management, faster data analysis, creating communication plans, engaging different publics, monitoring social media sentiment, stimulating creativity in visuals/videos/messages, preparing internal staff training, and assisting in strategic and complex tasks; one interviewee described AI-enabled targeting as “fingers of an octopus reaching out.”
• Risks emphasized by the majority included disinformation, deepfakes, hallucinations, misleading content, and incorrect information; some interviewees said GenAI could automate false content, accelerate dissemination, and multiply misleading information online, raising concerns about trust, source transparency, and human oversight.
• For competencies, respondents underscored a balanced skill set blending traditional communication expertise with digital literacy, including social listening, teamwork, creativity, digital skills, and understanding PSO functioning and organizational culture; the conclusion describes public communicators evolving into “centaur communicators” and acting as a “steady rock” and trusted voice.

Methods

• Qualitative design using in-depth semi-structured interviews with elite publics, recruited through snowball sampling; professionals were invited during the Club of Venice conference in Venice in November 2023, contacted by email in January 2024, and interviewed in October 2024 in English using Microsoft Teams.
• The sample comprised 14 professionals residing in 13 different countries, including directors of communication in ministries, heads of communication units for national departments, heads of communication at EU institutions, and former heads of public information for governments and ministries; average interview length was 42 minutes.
• Thematic analysis was applied, combining manual and computer-assisted techniques using NVivo 14; authors independently coded the same set of transcripts, compared coding, and resolved discrepancies through consensus.

Limitations

• The paper states limitations including the limited number of interviewees and the fact that interviewing elites provides valuable insights and trends but sometimes fails to reveal organizational issues or diverse organizational cultures.
• Evident from the text: the study is qualitative and not generalizable; the sample consists of senior government and EU communicators, so perspectives of citizens, media, or non-elite staff are not represented; snowball sampling may introduce selection bias; findings rely on self-reported perceptions.