TITLE:
AI, Firms, and Inoperative Communication Risks with the Fragmented-Social Collective
AUTHORS:
Ross A. Jackson, Brian L. Heath
KEYWORDS:
Authenticity, Authority, Engagement Strategies, Ontology, Technology, Society
JOURNAL NAME:
Voice of the Publisher,
Vol.11 No.4,
December
22,
2025
ABSTRACT: As complex social systems, firms could benefit from moving beyond traditional transactional views of communication. Firms are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots to generate their social communications. Such AI-generated content risks becoming “inoperative,” meaning it fails to engage or resonate with diverse social groups, due to its overwhelming ubiquity and simulacral quality. At its core, an inoperative statement is one that is not socially accepted and therefore does not function effectively regarding the rhetorical intent of its sender. As the ontological boundaries of firms become blurred, achieving message coherence is complicated by the polyvocality required to communicate with the fragmented social collective, which refers to the diverse and often disconnected segments of society. More concretely, the fragmented social collective is any group that is diverse in terms of its membership and disconnected in terms of its social solidarity, but one in which individuals can maintain a sense of personal identity and group affiliation. AI’s potential to produce content quickly can lead to messages that are superficially tailored to specific audiences but lack authenticity, thereby becoming inoperative. By examining how AI contributes to communication challenges, firms can rethink their ontological assumptions and develop strategies that integrate better social systems and technological advancements. AI can streamline communication processes, but if not aligned with legitimate needs, it may fail to sustainably support the goals of firms and society. By exploring these connections, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of how AI impacts firm communication within complex social systems, ultimately pointing to the need for more authentic engagement and solidarity.