CfP: Industrialisation and (De)professionalisation of Communication in the Age of AI Tools

2025-09-26

Call for Papers for the Journal Communication & Professionalisation

Special Issue: Industrialisation and (De)professionalisation of Communication in the Age of AI Tools

Guest Editors

Context

The communication professions are currently undergoing profound transformations, driven by a combination of technological shifts (Babashahi et al., 2024), organizational imperatives towards agility (Balog, 2020), and a gradual shift toward algorithmic industrialisation (Deliu & Olariu, 2024), as well as deep societal questions (Crawford, 2021). The advent of generative, predictive, and decision-making artificial intelligences is redefining the division of communicative labor, competency frameworks, professional identities, and the governance of know-how in this sector (Buhmann & Gregory, 2023). Where professionals once excelled in writing, synthesis, creativity, and strategic thinking, what skills can they still assert compared to the features and performance of generative, analytical or predictive artificial intelligences?[i]

Is an industrialisation of communication—understood here as the transfer of activities to algorithmic agents—really underway (Srnicek, 2017)? Should we speak of outsourcing, reminiscent of platforms or marketplaces where millions of independent workers (freelancers) offer intellectual services to organizations, most notably in France, in communication consulting, digital marketing, and digital design and creation? All projections suggest a significant acceleration of work transformations, which we wish to examine regarding their impact on the professionalisation of communicators. Two dynamics are emerging: first, heightened industrialisation of practices, characterized by standardization, automation, platform logic, and AI-assisted productivity; second, processes of deprofessionalisation (Evetts, 2005) manifesting as task fragmentation, job precarity, loss of autonomy, or the rise of self-proclaimed experts (Collins & Evans, 2007; Brown, 2020).

This issue aims to empirically investigate the effects of these processes on communication professions by structuring contributions around three axes: (1) industrial transformations related to AI tools; (2) the redefinition of professionalism and career paths; (3) professionalisation and training through/with AI tools. Above all, we seek to interrogate the meaning of “industry” related to making/doing, and its separation—or not—from craftsmanship (Caliste & Carnino, 2022) and professional ethos (Sennett, 2008) in the field of communication[ii].

A prospective study of the outsourcing of communication services, as subcontracting of activities and tasks previously entrusted to professionals (Vallas & Schor, 2020), invites us to reconsider labor division (Durkheim, 1993) and the role of the actor within a system (Crozier & Friedberg, 1977) dependent on technological “solutions” offered by AI providers.

Problematics

How is AI transforming the communication industry? What are its impacts on jobs, skills, and production processes? How can professionals adapt to these changes and take advantage of opportunities that AI offers? This special issue of Communication & Professionalisation seeks to address these questions and offer insights on the future of professionalisation in communication within such a context.

Suggested Topics

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit articles that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  1. Industrial Transformations and Automation in Communication

Few studies have examined the inner workings or evolution of the communication industry over time. It remained relatively stable until the late 20th century, when the growing importance of communication and the advent of web-based communication led to successive waves of transformation—through specialization (digital communication, media planning, public affairs, marketing & advertising) and the emergence of major international groups, medium-sized national agencies, as well as a landscape of very small agencies and communication freelancers. Although this industry has developed into a major economic sector, automation in communication processes is relatively recent, beginning with platformisation, especially for design and campaign management on social networks. The arrival of AI seems to be accelerating this automation in content production. Beyond the rhetoric, what is the reality? What defines a communication industry? And what kinds of (de/re)construction are underway in terms of industrialisation?

  • Transformation of production processes: How is the AI market, driven by international startups, reshaping the field of communication? Does the integration of AI tools into communication processes radically change work methods? How do these transformations affect the efficiency and quality of output? What are the new tools and technologies, and how are professionals adopting them?
  • Restructuring of the industry: How is the industry reorganizing? What stances are agencies taking? How do operational freelancers experience these changes? Do their practices resemble an asserted form of craftsmanship?
  • Impact of AI on communication professions: Is automation of repetitive tasks and large-scale data analysis by AI systems redefining traditional roles? Should we fear an “Uberisation” of communication professions? We encourage contributors to conduct specific case studies illustrating how organizations or agencies have integrated AI into their operations—their successes, failures, and lessons learned for future practice.
  1. Deprofessionalisation and New Professions: Skills and Career Paths

The concept of “deprofessionalisation,” as explored by Demailly & de La Broise (2009), highlights the processes by which jobs lose status and autonomy due to technological, economic, and social changes. Deprofessionalisation results from a loss of autonomy in professional activity and submission to rules of control, potentially leading to a loss of authority for the professional in relation to work and others[iii]. In communication, professional discourse presents AI tools as drivers of deprofessionalisation, automating tasks formerly reserved for qualified professionals.

  • Actors versus agents? Deprofessionalisation presents significant challenges for communication professionals, who must rethink their roles and added value in an increasingly AI-dominated landscape. How can professionals reposition themselves to capitalize on opportunities offered by new technologies?
  • Analysis of career trajectories: Communication careers are evolving rapidly. How can professionals navigate this new terrain, and what strategies can help them progress despite the challenges of deprofessionalisation? What new career trajectories exist for new entrants in the profession?
  • Emergence of new professions and skills (creative, strategic expert, AI technician): While traditional communication roles may be threatened by automation, new roles are appearing, demanding skills in AI management, data analysis, and intelligent agent configuration. How are these new jobs defined, and what skills are essential for success in this new environment?
  • Ethos and artificial intelligence: How do professionals explain or justify the transformation of their professions in relation to their ethos? Is the ethos of communication professionals evolving?
  • The growing importance of strategic and creative skills: In an increasingly automated environment, strategic and creative skills become crucial. How can professionals develop and demonstrate these skills to stand out?
  • Studies on the impact of AI on creativity: Can AI truly stimulate creativity, or does it risk standardizing output? How can professionals use AI to enrich, rather than replace, their creative process?
  • Analysis of creative processes and communication strategies: How are communication strategies evolving in the age of AI? What new models and approaches are emerging, and how can they be implemented to maximize campaign impact?
  • The increasing importance of relational skills: The agentivity of AI calls for both technical and relational skills from communicators, whose (de/re)professionalisation recommends more relational added value, with greater focus on interactions beyond interactivity.
  1. Training and Professionalisation

At the intersection of these two axes, proposals that address training issues are also welcome. Training, as both an academic and professional process, must be attentive to practices shaped by the use of AI. Their impact is twofold: all disciplines must reconsider teaching methods and update curricular content.

  • Challenges of training amid skill changes: How are programs adapting to integrate new AI-related skills? What are the main challenges, and how can they be overcome to train competent, adaptable professionals?
  • Pedagogical strategies for integrating AI: What are the best practices for teaching AI skills in communication programs?
  • The role of educational institutions and professional organizations: Educational institutions and professional organizations play a key role in adapting to AI-induced changes. How can they collaborate to support professionals as they transition to new roles and skills?

Submission Details

Authors are invited to propose contributions in the following categories:

  • Empirical (case studies, field surveys, interviews, observations)
  • Reflexive or critical (epistemological, ethical, professional policy perspectives)
  • Comparative or sectoral (between countries, types of organizations, communication sectors)

Shorter articles or interviews with practitioners and AI system experts may also be published in a supplementary section.

Articles must be submitted in French or English and conform to the editorial standards of Communication & Professionalisation. Contributions must be original and unpublished elsewhere.

Timeline

  • Launch: September 26, 2025
  • Abstract submission deadline: November 15, 2025 (by email to coordinators)
  • Feedback on abstracts: November 30, 2025
  • Full paper submission deadline: February 28, 2026 (submission via journal platform mandatory)
  • Author notification: May 15, 2026
  • Anticipated publication: End of November 2026

 

For further information, please visit the journal's website: https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/comprof/index

We look forward to receiving your contributions and hope that this special issue will provide an opportunity for a rich exchange on the issues and challenges of communication in the age of AI.

 

Bibliographical References

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Babashahi, L., Barbosa, C. E., Lima, Y., Lyra, A., Salazar, H., Argôlo, M., Almeida, M. A. d., & Souza, J. M. d. (2024). AI in the Workplace: A Systematic Review of Skill Transformation in the Industry. Administrative Sciences, 14(6), 127. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14060127

Balog, Katalin. (2020). The Concept and Competitiveness of Agile Organization in the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s Drift. 10.46541/978-86-7233-386-2_5.

Brown M. B. (2020). Gil Eyal, The Crisis of Expertise: Polity Press, Cambridge, UK, 2019, 190 pp, ISBN: 978-0745665788 (pbk). Minerva,58(4), 657–660. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11024-020-09417-2

Buhmann Alexander et Gregory Anne, « Chapter 20 : Digital corporate communication and artificial intelligence and future roles », dans Einwiller Sabine (sous la dir. de), Handbook on Digital Corporate Communication, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 2023, [En ligne]. [Page consultée le 24 avril 2025]

Caliste, L.,  Carnino, G. (2022), « Qu’est-ce que l’industrie ? », Artefact, 17, p.219-242

Cardon, D., Cointet, J.-P., Mazières, A. (2018). La revanche des neurones. L’invention des machines inductives et la controverse de l’intelligence artificielle. Réseaux, 2018/5, n° 211.

Cave, S., & Dignum, V. (2019). Algorithms and professional practice. Nature, 572(7767), 447–449.

Collins, H., & Evans, R. (2007). Rethinking expertise. The University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226113623.001.0001

Christophe, A., Alain, L. (2020). Une approche empirique et pluridisciplinaire pour comprendre et analyser les applications de l’IA dans les organisations. Communication et management, vol. 17.

Crawford, K. (2021). The atlas of AI: Power, politics, and the planetary costs of artificial intelligence. Yale University Press.

Datastorm (2022), "Le Freelancing en France", Étude statistique sous la direction scientifique de Stéphane Auray, en partenariat avec Freelance.com et l'Open Talents Lab, Groupe ENSAI-ENSAE.

Debos, F (2025). L’éthique de l’intelligence artificielle, ISTE éditions.

Deliu, D., & Olariu, A. (2024). The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics in Shaping the Future of Professions in Industry 6.0: Perspectives from an Emerging Market. Electronics, 13(24), 4983. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13244983

Demailly, L., de La Broise P. (2009). Les enjeux de la déprofessionnalisation : études de cas et pistes de travail. Socio-logos. Revue de l’association française de sociologie, n° 4. En ligne : <http://socio-logos.revues.org/2305>. DOI : 10.4000/socio-logos.2305

Demers, F. (2022). La société des professionnels. Presses de l’Université de Montréal.

Evetts, J. (2003). The Sociological Analysis of Professionalism: Occupational Change in the Modern World. International Sociology, 18(2), 395–415.

Evetts, Julia. (2009). The Management of Professionalism: a contemporary paradox in Gewirtz, S., Mahony, P., Hextall, I., & Cribb, A. (Eds.). (2009). Changing Teacher Professionalism: International trends, challenges and ways forward (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203887264

Gaudin, JP. (2001) « L’acteur. Une notion en question dans les sciences sociales », Revue européenne des sciences sociales, XXXIX-121, 7-14.

Kiyindou, A. (2019). Intelligence Artificielle : Pratiques et enjeux pour le développement. Paris, Éditions L’Harmattan.

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Petit, L. (2020). Les sciences humaines et sociales (SHS) et les sciences de l’information et de la communication (SIC) aux défis de l’IA. Communication, technologies et développement.

Rouvroy, A., & Berns, T. (2013). Gouvernementalité algorithmique et perspectives d'émancipation : le disparate comme condition d'individuation par la relation ? Réseaux, n° 177(1), 163-196. doi.org/10.3917/res.177.0163

Sennett, R. (2008). The craftsman. Yale University Press.

Srnicek, N. (2017). Platform capitalism. John Wiley & Sons.

Vallas, Steven and Schor, Juliet B., What Do Platforms Do? Understanding the Gig Economy (July 2020). Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 46, pp. 273-294, 2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3670075 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-121919-054857

 

 

 

 

[i] Source : Statistical study of Datastorm, Groupe ENSAI-ENSAE, supervised by Stéphane Auray, Professeur des Universités en Économie, en partenariat avec Freelance.com et l'Open Talents Lab (2022).

[ii] The Latin word industrius, which refers to activity, zeal and diligence, is formed from two roots: indu- (meaning “in” or “within”, similar to the prefix endo-) and struere (“to gather”, “to build”, or more broadly “to do”, from which we derive the modern verb construire, for example). build,‘ ’weave,‘ or more broadly ’do,‘ from which, for example, the verb ’to construct" is derived today). With its many meanings, industria, as the ability to ‘do’, could refer to manufacturing, skill, or cunning. For while industry is production, even mechanisation, it has also symbolised deceit and the misuse of legitimate means, such as the evil genius in the Meditations on First Philosophy who used ‘all his industry’ to deceive René Descartes. Here we find the etymology of many terms related to technology, which combine machines and machination, production and cunning, the weaving of materials and the intertwining of humans (to the point where, in mythology, the demiurge is always a potential trickster). Until the 18th century, industry referred to the use of unfair means to achieve economic objectives, while also being synonymous with the concept of economy. It should also be noted that the old meaning of the term ‘industry’ did not distinguish it from the concept of craftsmanship (Lisa Caliste and Guillaume Carnino, ‘Qu'est-ce que l'industrie ?’ [What is industry?], Artefact, 17, 2022 (pp. 219-242).

[iii] As the opposite of ‘professionalisation’ […] which acknowledges a plurality of professionalisation processes, in other words a plurality of forms of social construction of individual and collective autonomy at work, [deprofessionalisation] stems from a loss of autonomy in the exercise of a profession, from subjection to rules of control (Demailly & de La Broise, 2009).