Can AI Build Trust and Reputation? Understanding the Conditional Effect of Trust-Centered Communicative Strategies on Trust in Organization-Public Relationships

This study investigates the effects of trust-centered communicative strategies and the role of information sources in building organizational trust and reputation. A 3 (trust-centered strategy: ability-focused message vs. benevolence-focused message vs. integrity-focused message) × 2 (information source: AI vs. Human) betweensubjects online experiment (N = 622) was conducted in Hong Kong. The results revealed that benevolence-focused and ability-focused messages were more effective in building trust than an integrity-focused message. Besides, the benevolence-focused message was found to be the most effective among the three in enhancing reputation. Additionally, while AI was found to serve as a viable alternative information source in crisis communication, a significant interaction was found between the trust-centered strategy and information source on benevolence-based trust. Specifically, humans as an information source enhanced the effectiveness of benevolence-focused messages more than AI did. This study extends our theoretical understanding of trust by examining the nature of trust as a multidimensional construct, disaggregating it into distinct dimensions, and highlighting strategic-dimension alignments. It also contributes to public relations literature by identifying the boundary conditions of AI-mediated communication in organization-public relationships. Practical implications for crisis communication are also discussed.