Editorial: Artificial intelligence in the context of marketing communications

One contribu�on highlights the moral condi�ons that should underpin the use of genera�ve AI in marke�ng. Grounded in a deontological framework, the study iden�fies requirements such as transparency, fairness, accountability, and compliance, with intellectual property emerging as decisive for brand reputa�on. This underscores that the growing use of genera�ve AI must not be evaluated solely in terms of efficiency or crea�vity, but also in terms of the ethical safeguards that sustain consumer trust and long-term legi�macy (Floridi et al. 2018).Another study examines the role of AI-generated personas in crisis contexts. By dis�nguishing between animated and humanized virtual influencers, it shows that while human influencers remain more effec�ve overall, humanized virtual influencers foster stronger percep�ons of similarity and iden�fica�on. Importantly, the research suggests that enhancing mental human-likeness and narra�ve richness can increase message acceptance and brand image repair. This expands the scope of crisis communica�on research by showing how AI-mediated iden��es may one day serve as credible organiza�onal representa�ves, a finding consistent with broader scholarship on parasocial interac�on and influencer authen�city (Sundar 2020).A third contribu�on provides a wide-ranging review of AI's role across marke�ng ac�vi�es, from adver�sing and public rela�ons to neuromarke�ng and sales promo�on. It emphasizes AI's advantages, including cost reduc�on, scalability, personaliza�on, and con�nuous opera�on, while also cataloguing significant risks: data privacy viola�ons, cybersecurity threats, manipula�ve prac�ces, competence gaps, and labor displacement. By situa�ng these insights within the European Union's policy frameworks, such as the Digital Decade and the Digital Europe Programme, the study underscores that effec�ve adop�on requires not only technological innova�on but also governance, regula�on, and skills development (European Commission 2023;Taddeo and Floridi 2018).The final ar�cle offers a comprehensive overview of how AI supports customer engagement, personaliza�on, and value co-crea�on across industries. It iden�fies factors shaping consumer acceptance, such as trust, perceived usefulness, and ease of use, while also poin�ng to barriers like transparency concerns, ethical dilemmas, and resistance to adop�on. Unlocking AI's full poten�al in marke�ng therefore requires integra�on across strategic, organiza�onal, and technological dimensions, aligning with consumer expecta�ons and corporate values (Venkatesh et al. 2012;Davenport et al. 2020).Taken together, these four contribu�ons demonstrate that AI in marke�ng communica�on is not merely a mater of deploying new tools but a profound socio-technical transforma�on. Ethical inquiry, communica�ve innova�on, systemic risk assessment, and strategic integra�on emerge as mutually reinforcing perspec�ves that will shape the field's trajectory. These findings highlight the need to approach AI holis�cally, recognizing the interdependence of technological capacity, human percep�on, organiza�onal strategy, and regulatory oversight.Looking forward, future research should con�nue to explore how AI can be integrated responsibly and sustainably into marke�ng communica�on. Cri�cal ques�ons remain: How can ethical standards be embedded into AI design? Under what condi�ons will consumers accept AI-mediated communicators as credible and authen�c? What regulatory frameworks best balance innova�on with accountability? And how can organiza�ons align technological capabili�es with strategic goals to create long-term value? Addressing these ques�ons will require interdisciplinary collabora�on, drawing on marke�ng, communica�on, ethics, psychology, and informa�on systems.As AI technologies evolve, the balance between opportunity and risk will be decisive for shaping consumer percep�ons and brand legi�macy. The contribu�ons in this Research Topic suggest that progress in marke�ng communica�on will depend less on the technical sophis�ca�on of AI systems alone, and more on how organiza�ons design, govern, and communicate their use. By foregrounding ethics, authen�city, and responsibility, the field can chart a path toward an AI-enabled marke�ng landscape that fosters innova�on, trust, and sustainable engagement.