A new approach to crisis communication in tourism: Artificial intelligence-based CEO (AI-CEO)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the ability of artificial intelligence (Al) to imitate CEOs’ personalities and communication styles in crisis scenarios in the tourism sector. To this end, we adopted the model Lovelace et al. (2018) developed, categorising CEO characteristics as Creator, Transformer, Rebel, and Saviour. This model allows for testing whether Al can generate messages aligned with different CEO archetypes. In response to crisis scenarios involving world-renowned tourism businesses, Al produced social media posts, press releases, and solution proposals that largely reflected the characteristics of each CEO archetype. Al was also found to be capable of demonstrating core CEO traits such as innovation, transformation, bold decision-making, and effective problem-solving. However, Al failed to exhibit human-like emotions and could not fully reflect the symbolic aspect of leadership. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that Al can generate effective messages during times of crisis, ensure resilience in the corporate sphere, and foster a sense of trust among stakeholders. In this way, it offers a new perspective to the existing theories in crisis management and leadership literature.