Engaging CSR through narratives in the AI era: Exploring the impacts of voice generator and narrator identity on narrative transportation in audio and video

As AI integration and audio-video consumption surge in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, it is imperative to study how CSR communication advances to remain effective. This study conducted two online experiments using a 2 (voice generator: human vs. AI) × 2 (narrator identity: CSR beneficiary vs. PR practitioner) factorial design, tested in both audio (Study 1) and video (Study 2) formats. Results from both studies revealed that compared to AI-voiced narratives, human-voiced ones generated greater narrative transportation—a state of immersion and mental absorption in narratives—which in turn enhanced publics’ CSR engagement intentions. While Study 1 found no significant impact of narrator identity on narrative transportation, Study 2 found that CSR beneficiaries elicited higher transportation than PR practitioners in the video format. Furthermore, both studies revealed significant interaction effects between voice generator and narrator identity. Specifically, when the narrator was a CSR beneficiary, human voices consistently induced higher narrative transportation across formats. In contrast, with a PR practitioner narrator, human and AI voices produced comparable narrative transportation. The findings extend CSR narratives framework by illustrating how to strategically deliver CSR narratives in the contemporary media landscape and offer practical implications for CSR communication. ● CSR narratives can boost CSR engagement through narrative transportation. ● Humans perform better than AI in voicing narratives across audio and video formats. ● Voice generator and narrator identity interact to affect narrative transportation. ● AI voices performed comparably to human voices when the narrator is a PR manager.