The role of Artificial Intelligence and Influencers in building public trust during digitalcrisis communication
The growing complexity of digital crisis communication has led organizations to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) systems and social media influencers as strategic instruments. However, limited empirical research has examined their combined impact on public trust. This study investigates the effects of AI transparency, responsiveness, and influencer credibility on trust during digital crisis communication. Data collected from 350 Vietnamese social media users were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that AI transparency and responsiveness significantly enhance public trust, while influencer credibility exerts the strongest influence. Moreover, the integrated AI–influencer approach yields significantly higher trust levels than independent deployment. The study contributes to crisis communication literature by proposing a hybrid framework that integrates technological efficiency with human relational influence and offers managerial implications for designing transparent AI systems and strategic influencer collaboration.