# A Review of Artificial Intelligence Research in Peer-Reviewed Communication Journals
## 5 Discussion  
The goal of this study is to provide a broad review of AI research in the communication field. Findings indicated that the number of articles about AI has increased over the years, which indicates that AI has had an impact on the communication field and that scholars have started to pay attention to this topic. This finding is not surprising because \"communication is fundamental to both the theory and practice of AI\" [87] (p. 2). Most articles were published after 2020, specifically in the journals _Digital Journalism_ and _New Media and Society_. _Digital Journalism_ is one journal advancing international research into digital journalism studies. _Journalism_ is one of the areas in the communication field that AI technology has affected enormously, and there has been a transformative influence of AI on journalism studies over the years, with a focus on AI's role, challenges, and implications for the profession [4; 64]. _New Media and Society_ is another important outlet in the communication field that engages in discussions of the issues arising as a result of new information and \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c} \hline \hline
**Method** & **Number of the Articles** & **Percentage** \\ \hline Multimmethods & 23 & 16.5\% \\ Case study and interviews & 5 & 21.7\% \\ Case study and survey & 2 & 8.7\% \\ Interviews and qualitative content analysis & 4 & 17.4\% \\ Literature review and network analysis & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Participant observation and interviews & 2 & 8.7\% \\ Participant observation and literature review & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Qualitative and quantitative content analysis & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Systematic review and quantitative content analysis & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Experiment and survey & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Case study and experiment & 2 & 8.7\% \\ Focus group and interviews and survey & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Interviews and content analysis & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Interviews and literature/theoretical review & 1 & 4.3\% \\ Survey & 18 & 12.9\% \\ Case study & 17 & 12.2\% \\ Interviews & 16 & 11.5\% \\ No method & 16 & 11.5\% \\ Conceptual/theoretical paper & 14 & 10.1\% \\ Experiment & 11 & 7.9\% \\ Content analysis & 6 & 4.3\% \\ Textual analysis & 6 & 4.3\% \\ Network analysis & 5 & 3.6\% \\ Literature/theoretical review & 4 & 2.9\% \\ Meta-analysis & 1 & 0.7\% \\ Rhetorical analysis & 1 & 0.7\% \\ Systematic Review & 1 & 0.7\% \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Research methods in AI research in peer-reviewed communication journals 2006–2022. communication technologies in the field. This outlet provides an interdisciplinary forum and publishes articles from a wide range of disciplines. These could be the reasons a high proportion of articles were published in these two outlets. Future researchers may therefore need to consider publishing their AI research in public relations journals (e.g., _Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Journal_) and critical and cultural studies journals (e.g., _Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Critical Studies in Media Communication_, _Journal of Communication Inquiry_). Findings also indicated that chatbots, deepfakes, social bots, and algorithms were the most used AI technologies. Moreover, computer programs or systems that simulate human intelligence, such as home-based voice control devices, computer-generated individuals who have human traits and characteristics, and computer systems that perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, were the AI features most mentioned in peer-reviewed journal articles. These features can be categorized into four dimensions: simulating human intelligence, enhancing human communication, facilitating information management, and supporting creative content processes. For example, the prevalence of chatbots and virtual assistants, fueled by AI, has become a standard feature in customer service and public relations strategies. These AI-driven interfaces provide instant responses to customer inquiries, elevating customer satisfaction and engagement levels [88] by supporting creative content processes.