ALIES

Talking to machines, deciding with machines: Public engagement with science in the era of Artificial Intelligence

Project Partners

TU Braunschweig, Institut for Communication Science

• Prof. Dr. Monika Taddicken
• Dr. Esther Greussing
• Evelyn Jonas, M.A.
• Ann-Christin Weber, B.A.

Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology

• Prof. Dr. Ayelet Baram-Tsabari
• Dr. Inbal Klein-Avraham
• Shakked Dabran, M.A.

Description

This innovative research project delves into the intersection of science communication, human-machine communication, and science education to explore the impact of AI technology on informed decision-making in everyday scenarios. By focusing on the perception and use of technologies such as Project Debater (IBM) and ChatGPT (OpenAI), the project seeks to understand how people interact with and make sense of communicative AI stepping into the role of a science communicator. Additionally, the project reevaluates the concept and measurement of science literacy in adult life in light of future AI advancements. Through comparative theoretical and empirical work conducted in Germany and Israel, including interviews, performance tasks, and online experiments, this project lays the foundation for further research on AI-augmented science communication and the development of AI-based intermediaries for scientific information.

Duration

October 2022 – September 2025 

Funding

"Niedersächsisches Vorab" (Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture, Volkswagen Foundation)

Publications

• Greussing, E., Guenther, L., Baram-Tsabari, A., Dabran-Zivan, S., Jonas, E., Klein-Avraham, I., Taddicken, M., Agergaard, T., Beets, B., Brossard, D., Chakraborty, A., Fage-Butler, A., Huang, C.-J., Kankaria, S., Lo, Y.-Y., Middleton, L., Nielsen, K. H., Riedlinger, M., & Song, H. (2025). Exploring temporal and cross-national patterns: The use of generative AI in science-related information retrieval across seven countries JCOM, 24(2), A05. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.24020205
• Greussing, E., Guenther, L., Baram-Tsabari, A., Dabran-Zivan, S., Jonas, E., Klein-Avraham, I., Taddicken, M., Agergaard, T. E., Beets, B., Brossard, D., Chakraborty, A., Fage-Butler, A., Huang, C.-J., Kankaria, S., Lo, Y.-Y., Nielsen, K. H., Riedlinger, M., & Song, H. (2025). The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study. Public Understanding of Science, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241308493 
• Klein-Avraham, I., Greussing, E., Taddicken, M., Dabran-Zivan, S., Jonas, E. and Baram-Tsabari, A. (2024). How to make sense of generative AI as a science communication researcher? A conceptual framework in the context of critical engagement with scientific information JCOM 23(06), A05. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.23060205
• Greussing, E., Gaiser, F., Klein, S. H., Straßmann, C., Ischen, C., Eimler, S., Frehmann, K., Gieselmann, M., Knorr, C., Lermann Henestrosa, A., Räder, A., & Utz, S. (2022). Researching interactions between humans and machines: Methodological challenges. Publizistik(67), 531–554. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-022-00759-3

Presentations

• Jonas, E., Taddicken, M. (2025, September 15-17): Real-Time-Response-Measurement in HMC Research: An Example Based on Trustworthiness Evaluations of Empathic and Humorous Communicative AI as an Intermediary for Science-related Information [Accepted Presentation]. First joint conference of the „Digital Communication“ specialist group of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) and the interest group ‘Human-Machine Communication’ of the International Communication Association (ICA), Dresden, Germany.

• Greussing, E., Jonas, E., Taddicken, M. (2025, September 15-17): From human experts to artificial authorities? Reconsidering the concept of epistemic authority in the context of generative AI [Accepted Presentation]. First joint conference of the „Digital Communication“ specialist group of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) and the interest group ‘Human-Machine Communication’ of the International Communication Association (ICA), Dresden, Germany.

• Jonas, E. & Taddicken, M. (2025, June 12). Empathic, humorous, and ... trustworthy? A mixed-methods study on the perceptions of voice-based AI systems as intermediaries for science-related information [Accepted Presentation]. Pre-Conference "Role and Contribution to Communication Science and Beyond" der International Communication Association (ICA), Denver, USA.

• Greussing, E., Guenther, L., Baram-Tsabari, A., Dabran-Zivan, S., Jonas, E., Klein-Avraham, I., Taddicken, M., Agergaard, T., Beets, B., Brossard, D., Chakraborty, A., E., Fage-Butler, A., Huang, C.-J., Nielsen, K. H., Kankaria, S., Lo, Y.-Y., Riedlinger, M., & Song, H. (2024, October). Mapping cross-national patterns: The use of generative AI in science-related information retrieval across seven countries [Presentation]. Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) China Symposium 2024, Suzhou, China.

• Jonas, E., Greussing, E., & Taddicken, M. (2024, September). Unravelling (hybrid) trust in generative AI as intermediaries for science-related information – Insights from a qualitative interview study [Presentation]. 10^th European Communication Conference (ECC), Ljubljana, Slovenia.

• Greussing, E., Jonas, E., & Taddicken, M. (2024, September). The Perception and Role of Transparency in LLM-based Chatbots for Science Information Retrieval [Presentation]. 10^th European Communication Conference (ECC), Ljubljana, Slovenia.

• Jonas, E., Greussing, E., & Taddicken, M. (2024, June). Hybrid Trustworthiness of AI-based Chatbots - A Qualitative Exploration of Users Perceptions of ChatGPT and Bing Chat as Intermediaries for Science-related Information [Presentation]. 74^th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Gold Coast, Australia.

• Jonas, E., Greussing, E., & Taddicken, M. (2024, June). How do laypeople assess their trust in LLM-based chatbots when they seek science-related information? Results from a qualitative interview study using a hybrid trust approach [Presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Science Communication Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Zurich, Switzerland.

• Greussing, E., Guenther, L., Baram-Tsabari, A., et al. (2024, June). Predicting and Describing the Use of Generative AI in Science-Related Information Search: Insights from a Multinational survey [Presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Science Communication Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Zurich, Switzerland.

• Greussing, E., Jonas, E., & Taddicken, M. (2024, June). The Impact of Transparency: A Qualitative Investigation of LLM-based Chatbots in Science-Related Information Search [Presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Science Communication Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Zurich, Switzerland.

• Klein-Avraham, I., Dabran-Zivan, S., & Baram-Tsabari, A. (2024, April). Do you know sometimes the information is wrong? Knowledge about and usage of generative artificial intelligence in the early adoption phase [Presentation]. 26^th Annual Conference of the ISCA, Herzliya, Israel.
• Greussing, E., Jonas, E., & Taddicken, M. (2024, April). Beyond the Bot: Hybrid Trust and Transparency in GenAI-Mediated Science Communication [Poster presentation]. Concluding Conference of the Human-Agent Interaction Network ‘Interactions With Language-Based AI’, Tübingen, Germany.
• Klein-Avraham, I., Greussing, E., Taddicken, M., & Baram-Tsabari, A. (2024, March). A theoretical framework to evaluate AI-based information technologies for critical engagement with science: A proposition [Presentation]. NARST Annual International Conference, virtual.
• Peter, E., Greussing, E., & Taddicken, M. (2023, September). ChatGPT als Wissenschaftskommunikator? Die Rolle epistemischer Überzeugungen und Vertrauen bei der KI-gestützten wissenschaftsbezogenen Informationssuche [Poster presentation]. Joint Annual Meeting of the Science Communication and Journalism/Journalism Research Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Passau, Germany.
• Greussing, E., Peter, E., & Taddicken, M. (2023, May). Sprachassistenten als Informationsintermediäre: eine Typologie regelmäßiger Nutzer*innen in Deutschland [Presentation]. 68^th Annual Conference of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Bremen, Germany.
• Greussing, E., Peter, E., & Taddicken, M. (2023, May). Asking voice assistants about science: A typology of regular voice assistant users in Germany [Presentation]. 73^rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Toronto, Canada.
• Greussing, E., & Taddicken, M. (2023, April). Who uses voice assistants to learn about scientific issues? A segmentation analysis of German adults [Visual paper]. 17^th Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Conference, virtual.
• Greussing, E., Taddicken, M., & Baram-Tsabari, A. (2023, April). Socio-scientific issues meet AI technology: Reflections on the cognitive order of society [Presentation]. 17^th Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Conference, virtual. 
• Greussing, E., Taddicken, M., & Baram-Tsabari, A. (2022, October). Changing epistemic roles through communicative AI? [Presentation]. Annual Conference of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), Aarhus, Denmark.
• Greussing, E., Taddicken, M., & Baram-Tsabari, A. (2022, May 25). Changing epistemic roles through communicative AI? [Presentation]. Pre-Conference "The Science of Science Communication: Mapping the Field" at the 72^nd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Paris, France.

Workshops

Frehmann, K., Peter, E., Klein, S., Greussing, E., & Gaiser, F. (2023, May). Mit der (Un-)Beständigkeit der Forschungsobjekte in der HMC umgehen [Workshop]. 68^th Annual Meeting of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Bremen, Germany.