Research on Artificial Intelligence in the Field of Communication
A Bibliometric Analysis in Web of Science
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65598/rps.6252Keywords:
Artificial intelligence, Communication studies, Bibliometric analysis, Automated journalism, Algorithms, MisinformationAbstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly prominent topic in communication research, particularly in relation to the technological transformations taking place within media and digital ecosystems. This article analyzed the structure of scientific research on AI in the field of communication through a bibliometric study of the literature indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. The study focused on documents published between 2006 and 2025, aiming to identify patterns of scientific productivity, geographical distribution, institutional affiliations, international collaboration networks, and the thematic structure of the field. Results revealed a steady rise in scientific output, especially from the late 2010s onward, highlighting the growing importance of artificial intelligence in the media and communication ecosystem. The country-level analysis showed a strong concentration of publications in the United States and several European nations, while collaboration networks pointed to increasing international participation. At the institutional level, some universities emerged as key hubs of research productivity. The keyword co-occurrence analysis uncovered a diverse thematic structure, with several research lines converging. Prominent themes included studies on automated journalism, the role of algorithms in content creation and distribution, misinformation in digital environments, and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence in media. The findings suggest that research on AI in communication is currently in a consolidation phase marked by rapid growth, greater thematic diversification, and expanding international research cooperation.
Downloads
References
Baigabylov, N., Konuratova, A., & Baigusheva, K. (2025). Academic integrity and fraud in higher education: Thematic networks and disciplinary clusters in global research. Iberoamerican Journal of Science Measurement and Communication, 5(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.47909/ijsmc.275
Bormane, S., & Blaus, E. (2024). Artificial intelligence in the context of digital marketing communication. Frontiers in Communication, 9, 1411226. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1411226
Chen, L., Chen, P., & Lin, Z. (2020). Artificial intelligence in education: A review. IEEE Access, 8, 75264–75278. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2988510
Dolunay, A. (2024). The use of artificial intelligence in the field of communication: A research on the perspectives of communication academics. Journal of Autonomous Intelligence, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.32629/jai.v7i5.1610
Feldman, H. R., Medvecky, F., & Riedlinger, M. (2025). Ethics, generative AI and science communication. Public Understanding of Science, 09636625251393621. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625251393621
Florea, N. V., & Croitoru, G. (2025). The impact of artificial intelligence on communication dynamics and performance in organizational leadership. Administrative Sciences, 15(2), 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15020033
Fung, A. (2025). AI and the crisis in communication discipline. Global Media and China, 10(4), 512–518. https://doi.org/10.1177/20594364251395273
Gil de Zúñiga, H., Goyanes, M., & Durotoye, T. (2024). A scholarly definition of artificial intelligence (AI): Advancing AI as a conceptual framework in communication research. Political communication, 41(2), 317-334. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2290497
Girón, D. C. A., Yovera, S. E. R., Torres de Salinas, F. de M. G., Soto, F. G. C., & Cadenas, D. I. V. (2025). The relationship between knowledge management and artificial intelligence: A thematic analysis from Scopus. Iberoamerican Journal of Science Measurement and Communication, 5(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.47909/ijsmc.1713
Gunkel, D. J. (2012). Communication and artificial intelligence: Opportunities and challenges for the 21st century. communication +1, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.7275/R5QJ7F7R
Hacek, J. (2025). Generative artificial intelligence and the media: A bibliometric analysis in academic research. Media Literacy and Academic Research, 8(1), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.34135/mlar-25-01-02
Hohenstein, J., Kizilcec, R. F., DiFranzo, D., Aghajari, Z., Mieczkowski, H., Levy, K., Naaman, M., Hancock, J., & Jung, M. F. (2023). Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships. Scientific Reports, 13, 5487. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30938-9
Karaman, S. Y., & Yıldırım, E. (2025). Artificial intelligence ethics in journalism: A bibliometric analysis and visualization. Journal of Media Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1080/23736992.2025.2566118
Kessler, S. H., Mahl, D., Schäfer, M. S., & Volk, S. C. (2025). All eyez on AI: a roadmap for science communication research in the age of artificial intelligence. Journal of Science Communication, 24(2), Y01. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.24020401
Korobkova, O. K., Masalimova, A. R., Chistyakov, A. A., Chudnovskiy, A. D., Zhukova, M. A., Zhukov, V. A., & Irismetov, A. I. (2025). Bibliometric insights into artificial intelligence’s ethical and social dynamics. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 15(4), e202539. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/17543
Lock, I., Hoffmann, L. B., Burgers, C., & Araujo, T. (2025). Types, methods, and evaluations of artificial intelligence (AI) in public communication research in the early phases of adoption: A systematic review. Annals of the International Communication Association, 49(2), 122–145. https://doi.org/10.1093/anncom/wlaf005
Mahony, S., & Chen, Q. (2025). Concerns about the role of artificial intelligence in journalism, and media manipulation. Journalism, 26(9), 1859-1877. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849241263293
Mehmood, R. (2025). Journalism, media, and artificial intelligence: Let us define the journey. Journalism and Media, 6(3), 122. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia6030122
Monserrat, L. D., & Portal, L. M. N. (2024). Virtual communities and the challenge of connecting with audiences. In M.J. Peralta González (Ed.), Generation and Transfer of Knowledge for Digital Transformation, II International Symposium, SITIC 2023, Santa Clara, 15-17 November 2023, proceedings. Advanced Notes in Information Science, volume 6 (pp. 166-176). Pro-Metrics: Tallinn, Estonia. DOI: 10.47909/978-9916-9974-5-1.101.
Pujadas-Gómez, A., Jiménez-Morales, M., & Montaña-Blasco, M. (2025). Mapping the rise of virtual influencers: A bibliometric analysis. Telecommunications Policy, 49, 103071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2025.103071
Rodriguez, W. J. M., Jordán, F. de M. L., Flores, V. I. V., Armas, T. S., & Girón, E. C. A. (2025). Artificial intelligence in finance studies: Bibliometric approach to literature indexed in Scopus. Iberoamerican Journal of Science Measurement and Communication, 5(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.47909/ijsmc.168
Salazar, I. (2018). Los robots y la inteligencia artificial. Nuevos retos del periodismo. Doxa Comunicación, 27, 295–315. https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n27a15
Semeler, A. M. R., & Ribas Semeler, A. (2025). Art, technology, and creative processes: A new paradigm for artistic production. In A. Semeler (Ed.), Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Practices in Scientific Development, Advanced Notes in Information Science, volume 8 (pp. 11-29). Pro-Metrics: Tallinn, Estonia. DOI: 10.47909/978-9916-9331-4-5.52.
Sonni, A. F., Putri, V. C. C., & Irwanto, I. (2024). Bibliometric and content analysis of the scientific work on artificial intelligence in journalism. Journalism and Media, 5, 787–798. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5020051
Stray, J. (2019). Making artificial intelligence work for investigative journalism. Digital Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2019.1630289
Talmațchi, M.-L. (2025). The influence of artificial intelligence on communication. Scientific Bulletin, 30(1), 115–123. https://doi.org/10.2478/bsaft-2025-0014
Trejos-Gil, C. A., & Gómez-Monsalve, W. D. (2024). Artificial intelligence in media and journalism: Systematic review on Spain and Latin America in Scopus and Web of Science databases (2018–2022). Palabra Clave, 27(4), e2741. https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2024.27.4.1
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Authors retain copyright and transfer to the journal the right of first publication and publishing rights
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Those authors who publish in this journal accept the following terms:
-
Authors retain copyright.
-
Authors transfer to the journal the right of first publication. The journal also owns the publishing rights.
-
All published contents are governed by an Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Access the informative version and legal text of the license. By virtue of this, third parties are allowed to use what is published as long as they mention the authorship of the work and the first publication in this journal. If you transform the material, you may not distribute the modified work. -
Authors may make other independent and additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (e.g., inclusion in an institutional repository or publication in a book) as long as they clearly indicate that the work was first published in this journal.
- Authors are allowed and recommended to publish their work on the Internet (for example on institutional and personal websites), following the publication of, and referencing the journal, as this could lead to constructive exchanges and a more extensive and quick circulation of published works (see The Effect of Open Access).
