“Collaborating” with AI: Taking a System View to Explore the Future of Work

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Anthony, Callen; Bechky, Beth A.; Fayard, Anne-Laure

Abstract: In the wake of media hype about artificial intelligence (AI)/human collaboration ... Expand

Abstract: In the wake of media hype about artificial intelligence (AI)/human collaboration, organizations are investing considerable resources into developing and using AI. In this paper, we draw on theories of technology in organizations to frame new directions for the study of what it means to work “with” AI. Drawing on prior literature, we consider how interactions between users and AI might unfold through theoretical lenses which cast technology as a tool and as a medium. Reflecting on how AI technologies diverge from technologies studied in the past, we propose a new perspective, which considers technology as a counterpart in a system of work that includes its design, implementation, and use. This perspective encourages developing a grounded understanding of how AI intersects with work, and therefore ethnography, building on thick descriptions, is an apt approach. We argue that relational ethnographic approaches can assist organization theorists in navigating the methodological challenges of taking a counterpart perspective and propose several strategies for future research. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence spreadsheet human AI collaboration human computer interaction information system use

Methods: ethnography computational algorithm qualitative interview experiment theory development

Theories: theory of distributed cognition actor network theory

Digital “x”—Charting a Path for Digital-Themed Research

2023 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Baiyere, Abayomi; Grover, Varun; Lyytinen, Kalle J.; Woerner, Stephanie; Gupta, Alok

Abstract: As of late, the use of “digital” as a qualifier to established research concepts ... Expand

Abstract: As of late, the use of “digital” as a qualifier to established research concepts is increasing. However, we have yet to clearly establish what makes a “digital x” concept distinct from an “IT x” concept when “x” stands for well-established concepts such as strategy, infrastructure, innovation, or transformation, among others. In this paper, we review the need for, and merit of, labeling focal concepts in our field as “digital x” in contrast to using the dominant, incumbent label of “IT x.” We position the shift as a call to attend to new salient features that characterize contemporary settings of information technology use and its effects. Recognizing this need, we develop guidelines for future research by arguing what novel phenomena the label of “digital x” foregrounds and how insights gained through such foregrounding contribute to scholarship in ways that the term “IT x” does not. By doing so, this paper promotes clarity for the use of the digital x concepts and introduces explicit guidelines to delineate between the nascent stream of digital x research and established modes of IT x research. We hope that the essay helps information systems scholars and scholars in neighboring disciplines attending to digital phenomena identify novel research opportunities grounded on sound conceptual foundations that will foster cumulative generation of knowledge around digital x.History: Paul Pavlou served as the Senior Editor and the Associate Editor for this article.Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1186. Collapse

Topics: knowledge representation information system use digital transformation marketing management organizational transformation

Methods: ontological modelling ethnography design artifact theory development survey

Theories: semiotic theory

Freelisting: A Research Guide for Information Systems Researchers

2023 | ACM SIGMIS Database | Citations: 0

Authors: Califf, Christopher B.; Stumpf, T. S.

Abstract: Freelisting is a widely used ethnographic data elicitation and analysis techniqu ... Expand

Abstract: Freelisting is a widely used ethnographic data elicitation and analysis technique that can help researchers quickly and systematically collect and quantify qualitative cultural data. The paper discusses the value of freelisting for IS researchers who conduct qualitative and/or quantitative research. Specifically, the paper provides an overview of freelisting; examines how prior research has used freelisting; gives step-by-step instructions about how to collect, analyze, and present freelist data; and describes the benefits of freelisting in the context of IS research. The following items are explained in detail: (1) how to understand when freelisting can be an appropriate choice; (2) the different types of freelists; (3) how to focus freelists on a specific phenomenon; (4) how to analyze freelists; and (5) how to triangulate freelist data. Additionally, the paper details seven ways IS researchers can benefit from using freelisting: (1) creating culturally salient surveys; (2) revisiting or generating new field-specific theories; (3) enhancing a mixed-method research design; (4) uncovering information about cultural similarities and differences in intracultural and cross-cultural research designs; (5) consciously considering the importance of context; (6) developing more robust quantitative analysis techniques; and (7) eliciting culturally relevant data about development or refinement of technology in applied settings. Collapse

Topics: technology adoption cross cultural research

Methods: ethnography survey participant observation computational algorithm qualitative interview

Algorithmic Management: Its Implications for Information Systems Research

2023 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 4

Authors: Cameron, Lindsey; Lamers, Laura; Leicht-Deobald, Ulrich; Lutz, Christoph; Meijerink, Jeroen; Möhlmann, Mareike

Abstract: In recent years, the topic of algorithmic management has received increasing at ... Expand

Abstract: In recent years, the topic of algorithmic management has received increasing attention in information systems (IS) research and beyond. As both emerging platform businesses and established companies rely on artificial intelligence and sophisticated software to automate tasks previously done by managers, important organizational, social, and ethical questions emerge. However, a cross-disciplinary approach to algorithmic management that brings together IS perspectives with other (sub-)disciplines such as macro-and micro-organizational behavior, business ethics, and digital sociology is missing, despite its usefulness for IS research. This article engages in cross-disciplinary agenda setting through an in-depth report of a professional development workshop (PDW) entitled "Algorithmic Management: Toward a Cross-Disciplinary Research Agenda" delivered at the 2021 Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Three leading experts (Mareike Möhlmann, Lindsey Cameron, and Laura Lamers) on the topic provide their insights on the current status of algorithmic management research, how their work contributes to this area, where the field is heading in the future, and what important questions should be answered going forward. These accounts are followed up by insights from the breakout group discussions at the PDW that provided further input. Overall, the experts and workshop participants emphasized that future research should examine both the desirable and undesirable outcomes of algorithmic management and should not shy away from posing ethical and normative questions. Collapse

Topics: algorithmic management sensemaking platform worker Uber pandemic

Methods: computational algorithm theory development group interview ethnography grounded theory

Theories: organizational behavior theory enactment theory

Match Made by Humans: A Critical Enquiry into Human-Machine Configurations in Data Labelling

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Chandhiramowuli, S.; Chaudhuri, B.

Abstract: We present a critical ethnographic study of data labelling conducted in a Banga ... Expand

Abstract: We present a critical ethnographic study of data labelling conducted in a Bangalore-based AI start-up. Labelled datasets are primarily produced by human data workers. We explore how humans and machines are configured together in data labelling and what are the demands placed on human workers, including on their body and cognition, while being assigned in the service of machine intelligence. We also show how these human-machine configurations sustain and reproduce the seamless functioning of apparently "autonomous" AI as a normative vision. Though labelled datasets are an indispensable prerequisite to creating ML/AI-based systems, the human labour that produces these datasets cannot be acknowledged fully if the techno-entrepreneurial vision of "self-learning" machine intelligence is to be celebrated and sustained. In pursuit of a normative position of what AI should be, we are left with a denial of how AI is actually produced now. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence price management organization structure outsourcing crowdsourcing

Methods: qualitative interview ethnography participant observation personal interview grounded theory

Theories: sociotechnical systems theory

The Design of Social Inclusion Interventions: A Paradox Approach

2023 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Curto-Millet, Daniel; Cañibano, Almudena

Abstract: Are social inclusion and social exclusion opposed? Through a three-year ethnogr ... Expand

Abstract: Are social inclusion and social exclusion opposed? Through a three-year ethnography of an open source civic crowdsourcing platform aiming for generalized social inclusion, we show they are not. We argue that social inclusion and exclusion have a paradoxical relationship: ongoing tensions exist between them, and information systems shape those tensions. We find that design choices have crucial influence over the capacity of information system interventions to include and exclude and propose a framework for designing IS-based social inclusion interventions. The framework encompasses four types of strategies (positive discrimination, integrative oscillation, equitability and iterative inclusivity) for managing the paradoxical link between inclusion and exclusion through IS design. We also present the notion of "collectives" as a new way of thinking about exclusion criteria. Collapse

Topics: systems design crowdsourcing mobile application software developer open source

Methods: qualitative coding qualitative interview ethnography personal interview longitudinal research

Theories: sociomaterialism theory

Ethics, Power and Agency in Transnational Qualitative Methods: Remote Collaboration in a Refugee Camp Community Researchers

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Dahya, N.; Arvisais, O.; Ekmekcioglu, C.; Decarpentrie, L.; Badere Bellegie, B.; Mayanga Djafari, F.; Ishimwe, E.; Sasula, K.; Ndabaga, R.; Ndonji, G.

Abstract: This methodological paper discusses the ethical and power-based implications of ... Expand

Abstract: This methodological paper discusses the ethical and power-based implications of conducting remote and participatory research in a refugee camp in Malawi. This community-engaged project focused on education and technology. Half of the research team lives in Canada and half in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. This paper reflects on this study, with a focus on remote partnership, team building with community researchers, and the use of digital tools to coordinate and manage data collection and analysis. We also identify where ethics and power are both disrupted and affirmed through participatory activities. Collapse

Topics: technology adoption information system use pandemic human computer interaction usability

Methods: qualitative interview field study personal interview ethnography

Theories: theory of affordance

Exploring the Darkverse: A Multi-Perspective Analysis of the Negative Societal Impacts of the Metaverse

2023 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Dwivedi, Yogesh K.; Kshetri, Nir; Hughes, Laurie; Rana, Nripendra P.; Baabdullah, Abdullah M.; Kar, Arpan Kumar; Koohang, Alex; Ribeiro-Navarrete, Samuel; Belei, Nina; Balakrishnan, Janarthanan; Basu, Sriparna; Behl, Abhishek; Davies, Gareth H.; Dutot, Vincent; Dwivedi, Rohita; Evans, Leighton; Felix, Reto; Foster-Fletcher, Richard; Giannakis, Mihalis; Gupta, Ashish; Hinsch, Chris; Jain, Animesh; Jane Patel, Nina; Jung, Timothy; Juneja, Satinder; Kamran, Qeis; Mohamed AB, Sanjar; Pandey, Neeraj; Papagiannidis, Savvas; Raman, Ramakrishnan; Rauschnabel, Philipp A.; Tak, Preeti; Taylor, Alexandra; tom Dieck, M. Claudia; Viglia, Giampaolo; Wang, Yichuan; Yan, Meiyi

Abstract: The Metaverse has the potential to form the next pervasive computing archetype t ... Expand

Abstract: The Metaverse has the potential to form the next pervasive computing archetype that can transform many aspects of work and life at a societal level. Despite the many forecasted benefits from the metaverse, its negative outcomes have remained relatively unexplored with the majority of views grounded on logical thoughts derived from prior data points linked with similar technologies, somewhat lacking academic and expert perspective. This study responds to the dark side perspectives through informed and multifaceted narratives provided by invited leading academics and experts from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. The metaverse dark side perspectives covered include: technological and consumer vulnerability, privacy, and diminished reality, human–computer interface, identity theft, invasive advertising, misinformation, propaganda, phishing, financial crimes, terrorist activities, abuse, pornography, social inclusion, mental health, sexual harassment and metaverse-triggered unintended consequences. The paper concludes with a synthesis of common themes, formulating propositions, and presenting implications for practice and policy. Collapse

Topics: virtual reality privacy unintended consequence artificial intelligence IT security

Methods: digital trace data computational algorithm design guideline synthesis ethnography

Dynamics of control on digital platforms

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 1

Authors: Ens, Nicola; Hukal, Philipp; Blegind Jensen, Tina

Abstract: Digital platforms are supraorganizational entities that use digital technology t ... Expand

Abstract: Digital platforms are supraorganizational entities that use digital technology to facilitate interactions between diverse actors, leading to novel forms of organisation and accompanying forms of control. The current Information Systems (IS) literature, however, struggles to describe control on digital platforms in a way that does justice to the dynamic character of the phenomenon. Taking this as an opportunity, we follow the enactment of control over time and across parties in a hybrid ethnographic study of the social commerce platform Poshmark. Specifically, we conceptualise the dynamics of control as changes in the means of control—formal or informal—and the sources of control—operator or participants—over time. Tracking these conceptual dimensions, we identify the distinct ways control has changed on Poshmark. Synthesising these findings into four dynamics of control, we show that control on digital platforms is rarely static due to aggregate effects arising from the operator and from participant interactions with each other through the digital features deployed on the platform. Based on these insights, our study contributes to the IS literature on control by broadening the conception of control on digital platforms. The theoretical and practical insights generated in this paper thereby lay the foundation for the systematic study of the dynamics of control that are unique to platform environments. Collapse

Topics: digital platform social commerce Facebook social media IT career

Methods: ethnography qualitative interview synthesis design artifact case study

Incorporating blockchain technology in information systems research

2023 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Dubey, Rameshwar; Gupta, Manjul; Mikalef, Patrick; Akter, Shahriar

Abstract: In this Editorial Note for the special issue on "Incorporating Blockchain Techno ... Expand

Abstract: In this Editorial Note for the special issue on "Incorporating Blockchain Technology in Information Systems Research," we first focus on the need on conducting blockchain research in the information systems field. We briefly describe the nine outstanding articles that were selected for publication in this special issue. The editorial note ends with a research agenda for future scholars interesting in studying the blockchain phenomenon. Collapse

Topics: blockchain innovation management customer loyalty digital innovation peer-to-peer model

Methods: literature sample design science case study structured literature research theory development