Assessing the Effects of AI Usage in Crisis Communication Management in the PR Industry: A Quantitative Study in Ghana

Abstract

This study examined how artificial intelligence (AI) influences crisis communication effectiveness among public relations (PR) professionals in Ghana, and assessed the moderating role of perceived social presence. Guided by situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) and computermediated communication (CMC) theory, the study adopted a positivist philosophy, deductive approach, and quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Primary data were collected from PR practitioners using a structured questionnaire adapted from validated scales, and analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability tests, multiple regression, and Hayes’ PROCESS macro. The findings revealed a strong positive relationship between AI usage and crisis communication effectiveness. Organisations that frequently used AI tools, such as chatbots, automated messaging systems, and data-driven platforms, reported improved timeliness, message clarity, and stakeholder engagement during crises. The results further showed that perceived social presence significantly enhances crisis communication outcomes; stakeholders were more likely to view crisis responses as credible, trustworthy, and engaging when AI-mediated messages appeared warm, empathetic, and human-like. Additionally, perceived social presence was found to moderate the relationship between AI use and crisis communication effectiveness. AI tools yielded stronger positive outcomes when stakeholders perceived high levels of social presence, indicating that technological efficiency alone is insufficient without relational, human-like communication cues. The study contributes to SCCT by demonstrating how AI can operationalize timely, consistent, and context-specific crisis responses, and extends CMC theory by highlighting social presence as a critical factor in AI-mediated interactions. Practically, the study recommends that organisations integrate AI into crisis communication while humanizing automated systems to enhance empathy, responsiveness, and trust. The research also calls for training PR professionals to balance technological tools with human oversight to maintain credibility during crises. Despite its contributions, the study was limited to PR professionals in Ghana and relied on selfreported cross-sectional data. Future research should consider longitudinal designs, comparative studies across sectors or countries, and additional moderating variables such as organizational culture or crisis type. Overall, the study concludes that AI can significantly enhance crisis communication, but its effectiveness is maximised when combined with strong social presence cues.