Artificial intelligence and ChatGPT: Exploring Current and potential future roles in marketing education

ABSTRACTAmid growing concerns about use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered technologies like ChatGPT by students and researchers, this paper provides a brief overview of AI, focusing primarily on ChatGPT as one example of a chatbot that can perform various human-like functions. We discuss the utility of AI in the advertising and marketing communications industries and education. We also address fear, uncertainty, and risk-aversion for the use of these technologies in education and scholarship. We argue in favor of embracing AI in advertising and marketing communications education and practice while also providing suggested guidelines for best practices and a deep understanding of the challenges and ethical concerns associated with such uses. The paper concludes with a suggested agenda for pioneering research in this area. This paper is not intended to provide an exhaustive summary of all existing research on AI. Rather, it is a thought piece intended to stimulate curiosity among educators and practitioners and encourage further research among advertising scholars.KEYWORDS: Artificial intelligenceChatGPTadvertising educationmarketing communications educationethical concernspedagogy Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsAnna R. McAlisterAnna R. McAlister is Professor of Marketing in the Gerrish School of Business at Endicott College, where she teaches courses in Research Methods, Consumer Behavior, and Marketing. Her research focuses on the effects of advertising targeted to children, with a particular focus on public policy matters. She has published in Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Child Development, Appetite, and various other journals.Saleem AlhabashSaleem Alhabash is a Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, College of Communication Arts and Science, Michigan State University. His research focuses on the processes and effects of social and digital media across a wide array of context, including persuasive effects (advertising), alcohol use, digital aggression, racial and cultural stereotypes, and online safety. He teaches courses in consumer behavior, research methods, digital and social media marketing and advertising, and influencer marketing, among other areas of expertise. His research appeared in leading journals in advertising, communication, and other fields. His research and teaching have been recognized by the academic community. He was the inaugural recipient of the American Academy of Advertising Mary Alice Shaver Promising Professor award. He received Michigan State University’s Teacher-Scholar award. He was also named an Institute of Diverse Leadership Fellow from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. His research has been covered extensively by national and international media.Jing YangJing Yang (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an associate professor of digital advertising in the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago. Her research interests included consumer engagement in social media and mobile context, computational methods and implications in advertising, and authenticity in digital culture. Some of her works can be found at Journal of Advertising, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Journal of Product and Brand Management, Journal of Marketing Communications, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, among others.