<![CDATA[Purpose – This study examines the associations and predictive contributions of perceived AI-supported government communication and digital literacy to perceived public communication effectiveness through official government social media in Aceh Province.Methods – A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 180 Aceh residents who had accessed or interacted with at least one official government social media account. Data were collected using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, preliminary instrument assessment, regression-assumption testing, and multiple linear regression.Findings – Perceived AI-supported government communication was positively associated with perceived public communication effectiveness (B = 0.389, β = 0.347, p < 0.001). Digital literacy was also positively associated with perceived public communication effectiveness (B = 0.472, β = 0.441, p < 0.001) and showed a relatively larger standardized coefficient, although the difference between coefficients was not formally tested. Together, both predictors explained 52.4% of the variance in perceived public communication effectiveness (R² = 0.524. Research implications – The findings suggest that government institutions in Aceh should combine responsible AI-supported communication practices with staff capability development, human oversight, accessible public information, and initiatives that strengthen citizens’ digital literacy. Because the study used cross-sectional, purposive, and citizen-reported data, these implications should be verified through more representative, longitudinal, and multi-source research.Originality – This study integrates citizens’ perceptions of AI-supported government communication and digital literacy within a single analytical model, providing empirical evidence on their joint relationship with perceived public communication effectiveness in a local-government social media context]]>
