Insights Report on Digital Analytics
2025 Insights Report on Digital Analytics
- On this Page
- Introduction
- Top 10 Insights
- Research Projects
- PDF Download
Letter to Readers
Building an understanding of how data drives and shapes communication strategy is not a new concept. Yet, the digital landscape continues to evolve – more rapidly than ever it seems – making ongoing analysis essential. To help communicators adapt, we enlisted scholars to explore how companies, brands, and organizations are using digital analytics.
This Insights Report highlights seven projects from that call. The studies were completed over the past two years by talented Legacy Scholars from 13 universities around the world. The report is a collection that spans a wide range of topics within the digital space — from algorithm transparency and artificial intelligence to corporate data responsibility and digital listening.
The Page Center has a long history of funding digital media research. With this report, we continue to track its evolution, fill knowledge gaps and offer practical solutions to the ethical challenges it presents. And with this data-driven era showing no signs of ending, we hope to provide a foundation to help communicators and researchers answer the questions and meet the challenges of tomorrow.
We greatly appreciate our scholars for their dedication to this increasingly vital research and extend a special thanks to senior research fellow Frank Dardis for leading the initiative. Thank you as well for your interest in the Page Center and its mission.
Holly Overton
- Page Center research director
- Associate professor, advertising/Public relations
Denise Bortree
- Page Center director
- Professor and interim dean of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
Top 10 Insights
Page Principle 1: Tell the truth.
1 Trust in generative AI hinges on proactive, transparent communication.
Companies build credibility and trust when they explain how AI works in plain language, acknowledge risks upfront, and share how it shapes decisions — from customer service to hiring. Clearly volunteering information turns trust in the tech into trust in the company.
2 Ethical communication is a standard, not a strategy.
In technology, honesty is a differentiator. Companies that openly address consumer concerns about privacy, fairness, and risk in their AI and digital tools show they are not just chasing innovation — they are building it responsibly. Transparent messaging should reflect the enterprise’s values and actions, positioning the company as an ethical leader that consumers can trust.
Page Principle 2: Prove it with action.
3 Prove AI ethics through action.
Talking about AI ethics is not enough — organizations must demonstrate it. By dedicating resources to training and establishing clear codes of ethics for AI, companies demonstrate accountability and turn principles into practice, proving their commitment to responsible technology.
Page Principle 3: Listen to stakeholders
4 Listening builds trust.
Trust in AI and in brands grows when companies treat stakeholders as partners, not bystanders. Disclosing user rights, addressing privacy concerns, and actively responding to feedback signal institutional responsibility and responsiveness. When people feel heard and see their concerns acted upon, they are more likely to view AI products as both ethical and effective — strengthening trust in the technology and the company behind it.
Page Principle 4: Manage for tomorrow.
5 Anticipate AI’s impact.
Building goodwill with stakeholders means preparing for AI’s challenges before they become crises. By openly acknowledging risks like bias, cybersecurity threats, power imbalances, and privacy concerns—and equipping employees to address them — organizations show foresight and responsibility, strengthening trust in both their use of AI and their long-term leadership.
Page Principle 5: Conduct Public Relations as if the Whole Enterprise Depends on it.
6 Put employees at the core
The enterprise’s health depends on how well it listens to and engages its employees. Leveraging AI and social platforms to simplify workflows, respond to employee feedback quickly, and invite contributions results in more inclusive decision-making. By adopting digital feedback tools and measuring their impact on KPIs, satisfaction, and team cohesion, organizations prove that internal communication is more than messaging — it is the foundation of resilient relationships and enterprise success.
7 Make practitioners key partners in strategy.
Treat practitioners’ perspectives on AI as essential to the enterprise’s future, not just as operational feedback. By listening closely to concerns about ethics, authenticity, and public expectations, leaders can shape policies and investments that reflect both internal expertise and external realities. When practitioner voices guide decision-making, organizations build stronger alignment, anticipate challenges, and reinforce the trust that the whole enterprise depends on.
Page Principle 6: Realize an enterprise's true character is expressed by its people.
8 Equip employees as ethical AI ambassadors.
An enterprise’s character is defined by its people. Training employees to understand AI, communicate transparently, and create authentic content empowers them to serve as credible ambassadors. Clear ethical guidelines — set by both organizations and government — reinforce trust, while strengthening AI knowledge and preserving autonomy help employees embody the enterprise’s values in every interaction.
9 Transparency in AI hiring reflects organizational character.
How a company uses AI in hiring directly shapes how candidates view its people and values. Third-party audits build trust when AI speeds up hiring, while disclosing what candidate data AI reviews builds trust when the goal is reducing bias. By aligning transparency strategies with purpose, employees and recruiters become credible ambassadors of the enterprise’s fairness, respect, and integrity — demonstrating that the company’s true character is expressed through its people.
Page Principle 7: Remain calm, patient and good-humored
10 Steady guidance strengthens confidence in AI.
Successful AI adoption requires calm, consistent communication. By pairing practical support for employees with clear ethical guardrails — such as a code of AI ethics—organizations show patience and balance in navigating new technology. This steady approach reassures stakeholders, prevents overreaction, and builds lasting confidence in both the enterprise and its use of AI.
How PR Pros Navigate AI
How do public relations (PR) professionals use AI and respond to its ethical challenges?
Most professionals are confident about their ability to use AI tools and AI is now broadly applied in work areas such as:
Most professionals are confident about their ability to use AI tools in these areas.
Takeaways
- AI use is prevalent, but payoff is uncertain: While most PR professionals who were surveyed appear to be confident about employing AI at work, they hold a mixed view about the benefits of AI technology.
- Acknowledge AI’s drawbacks and equip employees accordingly: PR professionals acknowledge the potential threats of AI, citing algorithmic bias as the top ethical concern, followed by cybersecurity, societal power imbalances, and consumer privacy.
- Be explicit about your AI ethics: Organizations are allocating more resources to address ethical issues and creating codes of ethics specifically for the use of AI tools.
Communicating Corporate Data Responsibility to Build Trust
How can AI companies engage stakeholders to foster trust in AI?
In this study, users of generative AI shared opinions on AI companies’ communication, perceptions of AI products, trust in generative AI technologies and AI use intentions.
Takeaways
- Trust hinges on proactive communication: Generative AI companies should prioritize transparent communication strategies to build trust, emphasizing institutional responsibility.
- User empowerment drives loyalty and growth: Bolstering users’ feelings of competence, autonomy, and impact can strengthen customer retention and enhances willingness to pay for premium services.
- Engaging and ethical communication is an increasingly important competitive advantage: Companies that proactively engage consumer concerns around privacy, fairness, and risk mitigation position themselves as ethical leaders, building trust in a company and its products.
Ethical AI Use for Media Analytics & Content Creation
How do advertising and public relations practitioners understand and apply ethics to their use of AI on the job?
Takeaways
- Training for employees should support transparency of AI systems and authenticity of AI-generated content.
- Practitioners feel both government and individual organizations should take responsibility for setting clear ethical guidelines to shape how AI is used.
- In order to strengthen their AI skills, employees need a strong factual understanding of AI and they need to understand how they can retain their autonomy as skilled professionals while incorporating AI into tasks like content creation.
Evaluating Corporate AI Transparency
How do companies from various industries demonstrate AI transparency on their websites?
Takeaways
- Companies should share their AI stories: Companies should share plans for enhancing decision-making with automation, benefitting from generative AI, or otherwise optimizing services through AI-driven decision-making.
- Companies should explain AI risks: Companies should proactively assess and disclose AI risk and implications before consumers provide consent.
- Companies should provide AI details in accessible and plain language: Companies should ensure AI transparency materials are easy to find and explained with clear descriptions.
The average scores for each category measured in this study.
Building Trust Through AI Transparency
How can organizations use transparency cues in AI-assisted communication to build trust and strengthen relationships with users?
Effects of transparency on user perceptions
Takeaways
- Algorithm transparency is a strategic communication tool: Organizations should approach AI transparency not merely as a requirement, but as a core reputation-enhancement and trust- building strategy.
- Trust starts with the interface: Users form perceptions of organizations based on how their AI systems communicate; designing chatbot interactions with clarity and honesty is essential.
- Explain without overwhelming: Organizations that use plain language to describe how AI works and its limitations build more trust than those relying on technical jargon.
Fostering Digital Internal Listening
How do American and Chinese organizations use digital tools to listen to and connect with employees?
Takeaways
Large organizations can follow a few key best practices:
- Leverage AI and social platforms to respond to employees quickly, simplify workflows, and create opportunities for employees to contribute to decision-making.
- Measure effectiveness of digital internal listening by tracking its impact on KPIs, employee satisfaction, and team cohesion.
- Adopt digital tools for feedback to strengthen communication and maintain strong employee relationships.
Public Reactions to AI Use in Hiring
How does the public view the use of AI in the hiring process, and how can employers effectively promote transparency?
Favorable responses to transparency strategies depended on the specific purpose of AI use.
Takeaways
- Be transparent about AI use in hiring and inform job applicants about your AI use in the hiring process. This can promote trust and positive attitudes.
- Match your transparency strategy to the purpose of your AI usage. When AI was used to combat bias, it was important for applicants to know which qualities AI assessed. When AI was used to generally speed up hiring, applicants valued the accountability of a third-party audit.
- Focus on messaging that builds confidence in AI’s performance as a quality hiring tool in order to reduce applicant anxiety and promote acceptance of AI.
Read the Full Insights Report
The 2025 Insights Report on digital analytics was complied and created by Page Center research director Holly Overton, associate professor at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State, and Cassandra LC Troy, Page Center research fellow and assistant professor in the Department of Journalism at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The report is a significant part of the Page Center’s mission, which is to enhance ethics and integrity in public communication. We do that by translating the work of our scholars into practical and useful information. The nine projects from this call integrate scholarly work with the needs of the profession and provide a foundational understanding of ethics for every level of communicator. Visit the Page Center website to learn more.