Cal State Fullerton associate professor Yang Feng is guest-editing a special issue of the International Journal of Advertising that examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping advertising creation, consumer experience, and research methodology. The issue, announced September 16, 2026, invites scholars to submit work on human-AI collaboration, AI-supported creative strategy, and consumer responses to AI-enabled advertising - topics with direct implications for communications professionals navigating the same shifts in their own work.
The research agenda
The special issue, titled "AI in Advertising: New Directions in Practice, Consumer Responses, and Research Methods," is co-edited by Feng alongside Quan Xie of Southern Methodist University and Joanna Strycharz of the University of Amsterdam. Together, the three editors bring expertise across digital advertising, consumer behavior, and privacy. The issue pushes scholars to address practical and theoretical questions: how humans and AI work together in campaign development, how consumers react to AI-mediated persuasion, and how AI tools are being used for research ideation, stimulus creation, data collection, and analysis.
The journal is a leading peer-reviewed publication in the field, and the special issue signals that these questions have moved from the margins to the center of advertising scholarship. Feng's own research focuses on human-AI collaboration and responsible use of emerging technologies in marketing communication.
What the classroom and workplace need now
The questions raised by the special issue extend beyond academia. As students and faculty across disciplines encounter AI in coursework, internships, and research, universities face pressure to prepare graduates who can work effectively alongside these tools. The issue contributes to conversations about ethics, transparency, validity, and human judgment - the same concerns that PR and communications teams are grappling with as they adopt AI for media monitoring, content drafting, and audience analysis.
For communications professionals, the research directions outlined in the special issue mirror real-world decisions already in play. Understanding how consumers perceive AI-generated content, where human oversight is most critical, and which research methods produce reliable insights are no longer theoretical exercises.
Why this matters for PR and communications professionals
PR and communications teams are already using AI for tasks like drafting press materials, analyzing media coverage, and personalizing pitches. The research Feng and her co-editors are curating will shape the evidence base that informs how those tools are built, evaluated, and regulated. Staying current with this scholarship helps practitioners make smarter decisions about vendor claims, ethical guardrails, and measurement approaches. For those building deeper AI literacy, resources like AI for PR & Communications and the AI for Media Relations Specialists learning path offer structured training aligned with the same questions the special issue is tackling.
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