Smoothing Out Smart Tech’s Rough Edges: Imperfect Automation and the Human Fix
Abstrak
In this article, we take issue with an idea of autonomous and efficient automation that is upheld through the paradoxical conjunction of a flawed vision of the technological fix and the under-acknowledged human work required to fill in the gaps between machines and users. Our argument is based on two case studies that sit at opposite tails of automation processes: the front end of self-service checkouts and the back end of content moderation. This juxtaposition allows us to surface three themes on how the hype around automation is enabled by human interventions: the ad-hoc sociality in situated practices of automation, the capture of mundane expertise, and the inverted assistance of humans to machines. We argue that this human fix is not a temporary repair of malfunction, but a permanent and constitutive feature of automated systems.
Topik & Kata Kunci
Penulis (3)
Christian Katzenbach
Christian Pentzold
Paloma Viejo Otero
Akses Cepat
- Tahun Terbit
- 2024
- Sumber Database
- DOAJ
- DOI
- 10.30658/hmc.7.2
- Akses
- Open Access ✓