J

COM
Reimagining science communication in the age of AI

Reviewed C AMPUS G UTENBERG — M USEO DE LA C IENCIA C OSMO C AIXA 2023

Conference B ARCELONA , S PAIN , 18–19 S EPTEMBER 2023

Reviewed by Lourdes López-Pérez

Abstract This review analyses the presentation of Campus Gutenberg Museo de la

Ciencia CosmoCaixa 2023 held in September 2023 in Barcelona and
reflects on the connection of the event with the necessary redefinition of
the social communication of science in the face of the impact of artificial
intelligence.

Keywords Professionalism, professional development and teaching in science

communication; Professionalism, professional development and training in
science communication; Science communication in the developing world

DOI https://doi.org/10.22323/2.23010601

Submitted: 8th November 2023

Accepted: 15th November 2023
Published: 25th January 2024

One morning, you wake up, and Alexa is no longer by your side. That day, no one
turns on the bedroom light at 5%, congratulates you for achieving training
challenges or warns you that the coffee is ready. At that moment, you realise that
artificial intelligence (AI) has changed your life.

The influence of this emerging technology is doubly manifested in disciplines such

as science communication: it determines the development of professional practice
itself and transforms the channels and means of knowledge dissemination. Campus
Gutenberg Museo de la Ciencia CosmoCaixa 2023 has anticipated the necessary
reflection on this new reality in its 13th edition. AI was the focus of attention at this
meeting, looking at its future from a triangular perspective: training, research and
practice.

Conferences, like books, leave their mark on you through the sensations you
experience while you enjoy them. I will remember this conference as a comfortable
and open space that enhanced participation and dialogue between researchers,
professionals, educators, social agents and students.

Four plenary lectures, 17 parallel sessions, 44 exhibitions and eight open

workshops made up a programme that addressed vital issues relevant to science

Review Journal of Science Communication 23(01)(2024)R01 1

 communication: inclusion, equality, public participation in science or
misinformation.

Artificial The opening lecture set the social tone of the meeting with a presentation on
intelligence and ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence’. The AI expert and professor at the University
ethics of Umea, Virginia Dignum, spoke about the human dimension of technology and
linked it with the need to promote quality and inclusive education to inform
citizens about its impact on their daily lives and personal development. Similar
observations were already pointed out by authors such as Holmes, Persson,
Chounta, Wasson and Dimitrova [2022], as well as Miao, Holmes, Huang and
Zhang [2021].

Ethics was a guiding thread of the conversations held by science communication

thought leaders in Spain: Pilar Sánchez, Miquel Pelliécer, Karla Islas, Ramón López
de Mántaras and Vladimir de Semir on artificial intelligence in scientific
communication. The responsibility of journalism regarding the image projected by
this technology was the focus of the debate. They highlighted the importance of
continuously training media professionals and their social responsibility to avoid
sensationalist stories that generate false expectations. They also emphasised the
communication areas in which AI will have the most significant impact: content
production, data analysis, news detection, personalisation of information, the fight
against disinformation and data visualisation. Many of these issues are already the
subjects of study in the published scientific literature [Parratt-Fernández,
Mayoral-Sánchez & Mera-Fernández, 2021].

Participation and dialogue were, once again, the protagonists at the Gutenberg
Campus with the organisation of an open debate for the development of a
proposed guide to good practices in the use of AI in science communication. The
result is sure to be of interest to the practical and scientific community.

The science of I especially enjoyed the open workshop dedicated to the science of science
science communication. Through a participatory methodology, three researchers leading
communication this work [Revuelta, Llorente & Saladié, 2023] presented the results of the study.
They promoted dialogue to share knowledge and experiences around research,
training and practice.

The barriers and challenges for the incorporation of professionals are another of the
main topics. Not only was it the focus of debate in one of the plenary conferences
through the voices of researchers and practitioners in science communication
Ángela Monasor, Rubén Permuy, Nuria Saladié, Jordi Más and Concepción Sanz,
but it was also present in the informal conversations.

A roundtable on training and incentives for the scientific community to

communicate was the finishing touch to the conference. It left us hopeful that
dissemination will be more than just a hobby for Spanish researchers who wish to
share their knowledge. The new Law of Science in Spain recognises this work in its
article 15 [Ley 17/2022, 2022].

https://doi.org/10.22323/2.23010601 JCOM 23(01)(2024)R01 2

Practice and It was encouraging that a science communication meeting dedicated space to
research science communication research, but very little time was dedicated to the
dissemination of results that support evidence-based practice and an opportunity
was missed to bring researchers and science communication practitioners together
in a meaningful and enriching conversation This reminds me of the “persistent
irony” to which Scheufele [2022] alludes in this field, regarding the absence of
dialogue between researchers and professionals.

As described by several authors [Metcalfe, 2022; Gerber et al., 2020; Bucchi &
Trench, 2021; Davies et al., 2021], there is a worrying disconnect between theory
and practice; that is, between the people who research science communication and
those who are professionally engaged in it.

With the impact of AI on communication, now is the time for academics in the field
to listen to science communicators and the social sectors involved to adapt their
study priorities to the challenges demanded by today’s society. Likewise, practice
must be supported by evidence that favours effective and inclusive knowledge
dissemination and public dialogue.

For now, I remain encouraged about the development and future of this young
profession in Spain that is currently consolidating and occupying a relevant place
in society. Many of the delegates were young people who had chosen this career as
a dedication to the future. Those of us fortunate enough to dedicate ourselves to
this work have the ethical and moral obligation to work together to guarantee the
right to information and quality education and thus favour the generation of a freer
and happier society.

Acknowledgments I would like to thank to the Parque de las Ciencias de Andalucía-Granada (Spain)
and its director, Luis Alcalá, for supporting and enhancing my participation in the
Campus Gutenberg — Museo de Ciencia CosmoCaixa 2023.

References Bucchi, M. & Trench, B. (2021). Rethinking science communication as the social
conversation around science. JCOM 20 (03), Y01. doi:10.22323/2.20030401
Davies, S. R., Franks, S., Roche, J., Schmidt, A. L., Wells, R. & Zollo, F. (2021).
The landscape of European science communication. JCOM 20 (03), A01.
doi:10.22323/2.20030201
Gerber, A., Broks, P., Gabriel, M., Lorenz, L., Lorke, J., Merten, W., . . . Warthun, N.
(2020). Science communication research: an empirical field analysis.
doi:10.5281/zenodo.4028704
Holmes, W., Persson, J., Chounta, I.-A., Wasson, B. & Dimitrova, V. (2022). Artificial
intelligence and education: a critical view through the lens of human rights,
democracy and the rule of law. Council of Europe. Strasbourg, France. Retrieved
from https://rm.coe.int/artificial-intelligence-and-education-a-critical-view-
through-the-lens/1680a886bd
Ley 17/2022, de 5 de septiembre, por la que se modifica la Ley 14/2011, de 1 de
junio, de la Ciencia, la Tecnología y la Innovación. Artículo 15. (2022).
«BOE» núm. 214, de 06/09/2022. Retrieved from
https://www.boe.es/eli/es/l/2022/09/05/17/con

https://doi.org/10.22323/2.23010601 JCOM 23(01)(2024)R01 3

 Metcalfe, J. (2022). Science communication: a messy conundrum of practice,
research and theory. JCOM 21 (07), C07. doi:10.22323/2.21070307
Miao, F., Holmes, W., Huang, R. & Zhang, H. (2021). AI and education: guidance for
policy-makers. UNESCO. doi:10.54675/PCSP7350
Parratt-Fernández, S., Mayoral-Sánchez, J. & Mera-Fernández, M. (2021).
The application of artificial intelligence to journalism: an analysis of academic
production. El Profesional de la Información 30 (3), e300317.
doi:10.3145/epi.2021.may.17
Revuelta, G., Llorente, C. & Saladié, N. (2023). La comunicación científica en España.
Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT).
doi:10.58121/GVN9-H856
Scheufele, D. A. (2022). Thirty years of science-society interfaces: what’s next?
Public Understanding of Science 31 (3), 297–304.
doi:10.1177/09636625221075947

Author Lourdes López-Pérez is Head of Outreach Science Section at the science museum
Parque de las Ciencias de Andalucía-Granada and she is researcher in the the
research group “Access and evaluation of scientific information” of University of
Granada. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and she graduated in Journalism.
Also, she has a Master degree in Science Information and Communication at the
University of Granada and another of Marketing at the ESIC. She has published
more than twenty book chapters and articles about public engagement in science in
national and international journals with a certified quality index (JCR, SJR, RESH).
Her scientific profile is completed with research stays at American Museum of
Natural History of New York; Natural History Museum of London and Science
Communication Unit of University of Western of England.

# llopez@parqueciencias.com

How to cite López-Pérez, L. (2024). ‘Reimagining science communication in the age of AI’.
JCOM 23 (01), R01. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.23010601.

⃝c The Author(s). This article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution — NonCommercial — NoDerivativeWorks 4.0 License.
ISSN 1824-2049. Published by SISSA Medialab. jcom.sissa.it

https://doi.org/10.22323/2.23010601 JCOM 23(01)(2024)R01 4