The Future of Work is Here: Algorithmic Automation, Augmentation and the Way AI is Changing Work

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are claimed to compete with human capabilities in multiple domains such as complex problem- solving, perception, and reasoning (Rai et al. 2019). These technologies are seen as enablers of a fundamental transformation to organizations (Faraj et al. 2018, Kellogg et al. 2019), professionals (Barley et al. 2017) and more broadly, the future of our society. Contentious debates are revolving around whether, over time, AI technologies are more likely to “automate” professional work on certain tasks by fully replacing human professionals, or to “augment” human professionals (e.g., Brynjolfsson and Mitchell 2017, Kellogg et al. 2019). The aim of this symposium is to present four distinct yet related studies on algorithms, augmentation, automation and the changing nature of work. Each presentation will broaden our understanding of these issues and actively engage the participants of the symposium to reflect on the larger questions on the future of work and society. Algorithmic Interactions in Open Source Work: Automation and Augmentation Presenter: Maha Shaikh; King's College London Augment Professionals, Not Replace Them, for Innovative Problem Solving Presenter: Hila Lifshitz-Assaf; New York U. Identity Construction with Artificially Intelligent Communication Technologies Presenter: Paul Leonardi; UC Santa Barbara Balancing Operations for the Implementation of AI in Professional Work Presenter: Katherine C. Kellogg; MIT Future of Work is Here: Algorithmic Automation, Augmentation and the Way AI is Changing Work Presenter: Youngjin Yoo; Case Western Reserve U.