Ethics of generative AI in public communication research grants announced

The Page Center announced the recipients of its 2025 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar grants. Nine projects were chosen from a record amount of proposal submissions, with each one examining a unique area of generative artificial intelligence, its industry standards and its ethical use.

Funding innovative and timely research through its Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grant program is a chief initiative of the Page Center. Every year, the Center designates senior research fellows to pinpoint current topics and invite research proposals that enhance scholarly, industry and public comprehension of these subjects.

In August, the Page Center announced its latest grant call, which targeted the ethics of generative AI in public communication. Nearly 90 proposals were submitted. The accepted projects feature 22 scholars from 13 universities. Areas to be addressed in the call include biases in AI, transparency, engagement, misinformation and more. The full list of funded projects is below.

The research call is led by senior research fellows Heather Shoenberger, associate professor of advertising/public relations at Penn State, and Fuyuan Shen, the Donald P. Bellisario professor of advertising at Penn State.

“With AI’s rise and the questions and concerns it creates, we knew this would be a popular call,” said Denise Bortree, Page Center director. “Thanks to Heather and Fuyuan, we’ve identified nine projects that are set on answering those questions and addressing those concerns through a practical and ethical focus.”

What's next

Over the next year, funded scholars will complete their projects. This summer, the Page Center blog will feature weekly posts that introduce the scholars, overview the research topic and share ideas as the teams begin their research. Projects will be presented at the Page Center’s Research Roundtable, a virtual gathering with scholars, research fellows and Page Center advisory board members.

Since its founding in 2004, the Center has funded more than 300 scholars and awarded over $1 million in funding. While research themes vary from year to year, the Center consistently supports academic exploration into the understanding of principles practiced in public communication.

The 2025 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grants

Examining the impact of transparency and community notes on voters’ trust and perception of AI-generated political advertising
Bingbing Zhang, University of Iowa

Did AI write this? Identifying and overcoming stereotypes and biases in human detection of AI-generated self-presentation
Haoran Chu, Rita Linjuan Men, Yuan Sun, University of Florida; Sixiao Liu, University of Central Florida; and Shupei Yuan, Northern Illinois University

AI hype machine: Understanding the news media’s role in and ethics of hyping generative AI
Heidi Hatfield Edwards, Moti Mizrahi, and Theodore Petersen, Florida Institute of Technology

Advancing the engagement paradigm: Examining stakeholder disengagement and the ethical implications of generative AI in public relations
Jordan Morehouse, University of Colorado-Boulder, Laura Lemon, University of Alabama, Yan Qu, University of Maryland-College Park

Ethical implications in PR: How do generative AI and automation impact broader corporate ethics and reputation?
Juan Meng and Anne Perera, University of Georgia

Toward a greener GenAI: Public perceptions of environmentally responsible use of generative AI and proposal of environment-friendly design intervention
Eugene Cho Snyder, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Mengqi (Maggie) Liao, Nicholas Eng, and Ruoyu Sun, University of Georgia

The role of deception in the context of brand endorsement of AI-backed versus human-backed virtual influencers
Nadine Walter, Pforzheim University

Effects of the transparent use of AI in press releases on journalists attitudes and behavioral intentions
Renita Coleman, University of Texas

Combating AI-generated misinformation in public communication after large-scale crises
Jie Zhuang and Liang (Lindsay) Ma, Texas Christian University