PhD Position on Generative AI, CSR, and Corporate Legitimacy

at  Universiteit van Amsterdam

PhD Position on Generative AI, CSR, and Corporate Legitimacy
Faculteit/Dienst: Faculteit der Maatschappij- & Gedragswetenschappen
Opleidingsniveau: Master
Functie type: Promotieplaats
Sluitingsdatum: 15 August 2024
Vacaturenummer: 13130

ABOUT US

The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) is the research institute for the Communication Science Department in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam.
We offer a challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.
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PHD POSITION ON THE ROLE OF GENERATIVE AI IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY COMMUNICATION AND CORPORATE LEGITIMACY

Hundreds of millions of individuals increasingly use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the form of conversational agents such as ChatGPT as sources of information. These agents help individuals learn about society and the world around them, including what companies do and how socially responsible or irresponsible they are. Against the backdrop of the mediatization, globalization and politicization of organizations, the project aims to improve our understanding of the extent to which conversational GenAI challenges how and what we learn about companies and their social (ir)responsibility and what effects the emergence of genAI has on individuals’ perceptions of corporate legitimacy, compared to (traditional) news media. The project’s findings are expected to significantly contribute to research and practice by informing researchers, companies, policymakers, and other social actors and institutions about how the emergence of GenAI can disrupt processes affecting corporate legitimacy, particularly in the context of complex topics like corporate social (ir)responsibility.
We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic PhD candidate for the project “Generative (De)Legitimation: Corporate Social (Ir)Responsibility in the Age of Conversational Generative AI” under the supervision of dr. Sarah Marschlich, dr. Britta Brugman, and prof. dr. Theo Araujo. The project is embedded in the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO

In this 4-year PhD project, the PhD candidate will explore (1) how individuals interact with conversational GenAI agents when seeking information about organizations, especially in relation to their corporate social (ir)responsibility and legitimacy, (2) how the answers by GenAI differ from regular news content about corporate social (ir)responsibility and legitimacy, and (3) explore the effects of GenAI on individuals’ corporate legitimacy perceptions, as a result of source perceptions and the use of specific frames.
Various methods are used in this project: in-depth interviews, quantitative (automated) content analysis, and experimental studies. The PhD candidate will write a paper-based dissertation and will strive to publish the results of individual studies in leading journals in the field of Communication Science. In addition to the scientific impact, the project will have societal impact, with outreach to interested stakeholders within and outside academia to disseminate the research conclusions.

Tasks include

• conducting in-depth interviews with users of Conversational GenAI;
• conducting a quantitative content analysis to compare how Conversational GenAI and news media differ in their portrayal of companies;
• conducting experimental studies to investigate the effects of information sources and frames by Conversational GenAI on individuals’ corporate legitimacy perceptions;
• completing a dissertation consisting of research articles within the appointment period;
• presenting the research at national and international conferences;
• contributing to the vibrant academic life in Amsterdam by attending ASCoR’s PhD club, workshops, meetings, and lectures;
• conducting teaching-related tasks in the Bachelor programme of Communication Science (10% of your time).