RAI Advocacy: Communicative Strategies for Advancing Responsible AI in Large Technology Companies

Despite perceived tensions between Responsible AI (RAI) and business objectives in large technology companies, RAI efforts still advance thanks to the persistent, often invisible work of passionate advocates who take on RAI work, often in addition to their formal roles. In this paper, we examine the work of such RAI advocates from an organizational communication perspective that enables us to understand how organizational realities are continuously constructed and negotiated through communication. Specifically, we look at RAI advocates' communicative moves – the advocacy strategies they use to address RAI challenges and get RAI work done. Through an analysis of 22 in-depth interviews with RAI advocates, we identify shared obstacles related to getting buy-in for and facilitating RAI work, and 14 distinct communicative strategies advocates use to address them. Our findings highlight the demanding yet under-recognized labor that enables and shapes RAI work within organizations. We conclude by discussing how organizations can better support RAI advocacy efforts and, ultimately, envision a future where RAI is normalized in everyday organizational processes such that advocacy is no longer needed.