“Rogue machines” and crisis communication: when AI fails, how do companies publicly respond?

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) failures are increasingly common as more and more companies race to implement AI solutions. The implementation of AI and its inevitable malfunctions are an unprecedented type of crisis for corporate communication professionals. This study reviews (1) 23 instances of AI failures, (2) subsequent corporate communication, and (3) resultant media coverage to investigate the various strategies employed to deal with AI failures. We also identify if these strategies lead to positive or negative responses and/or mitigation of the crisis. Results show that several response strategies included in extant crisis response frameworks can be effective in dealing with AI crises, whereas other strategies tend to be unsuccessful. Our analysis also points to the emergence of a crisis communication strategy that takes advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the accountability of AI to mitigate the crisis.