Artificial intelligence, algorithms, and social inequality: Sociological contributions to contemporary debates

Zajko, Mike

doi:10.1111/soc4.12962

Cited by 42 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 100 publications

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“…In that case, these strategies may be counter-productive and exacerbate existing inequalities within the organisation and society at large. Therefore, organisations must carefully consider the impact of AI on learning and development and ensure that any strategies they implement take into account the diverse needs and perspectives of their workforce (Zajko, 2022). Thus, it can be argued and recommended that AI should be thoughtfully implemented and consciously managed to provide all workers with equal opportunities for learning and developing their set of skills.…”

Section: 2020)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Workers’ Skills: Upskilling and Reskilling in Organisations

et al. 2023

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Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the recent developments in research and practice on the transformation of professional skills by artificial intelligence (AI) and to identify solutions to the challenges that arise. Background: The implementation of AI in various organisational sectors has the potential to automate tasks that are currently performed by humans or to reduce cognitive workload. While this can lead to increased productivity and efficiency, these rapid changes have significant implications for organisations and workers, as AI can also be perceived as leading to job losses. Successfully adapting to this transformation will lead companies and institutions to new working and organisational models, which requires implementing measures and strategies to upskill or reskill workers. Organisations, therefore, face considerable challenges such as guiding employees towards the change process, dealing with the cost of training, and ensuring fairness and inclusion posed by age, gender, and cultural diversity. Methodology: A narrative review has been conducted to analyse research and practice on the impact of AI on human skills in organisations. Contribution: This work contributes to the body of knowledge by examining recent trends in research and practice on how AI will transform professional skills and workplaces, highlighting the crucial role played by transversal skills and identifying strategies that can support organisations and guide workers toward the upskilling and reskilling challenges. Findings: This work found that introducing AI in organisations combines many organisational strategies simultaneously. First, it is critical to map the transversal skills needed by workers to mitigate the current skills gap within the workplace. Secondly, organisations can help workers identify the skills required for AI adoption, improve current skills, and develop new skills. In addition, the findings show that companies need to implement processes to support workers by providing ad hoc training and development opportunities to ensure that workers’ attitudes and mental models towards AI are open and ready for the changing labour market and its related challenges. Recommendation for Researchers: AI is a complex and multifaceted field that encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including computer science, mathematics, engineering, and behavioural and social sciences. Researchers should take a transdisciplinary approach to enable the integration of knowledge and perspectives from different fields that are essential to understanding the full range of implications and applications of AI. Future Research: Further research is needed to understand the impact of AI on human skills and the role of soft skills in the adoption of AI in organisations. Future studies should also consider the challenges presented by Industry 5.0, which is likely to involve the integration of new technologies and automation on an even greater scale.

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Section: 2020)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Workers’ Skills: Upskilling and Reskilling in Organisations

et al. 2023

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“…For example, it is possible that Editorial positions may not currently be advertised in a way that reaches the most diverse pool of potential applicants. Social media, whilst a useful tool for recruitment, may not be a welcoming environment for everybody, and social media algorithms can amplify inequalities [7]. By monitoring the characteristics of our Editors, we are better positioned to consider how to promote EDI in recruitment.…”

Section: We Will Champion Edi Within the Group Of Editors Of Anaesthe...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Position statement from the Editors of Anaesthesia Reports on equity, diversity and inclusion

Hughes

Kearsley

2023

Anaesthesia Reports

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Anaesthesia recently published a position statement on behalf of their Editors discussing the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) [1]. The statement highlighted these as priority areas in academic publishing in both anaesthesia and healthcare as a whole. It presented practices aimed at achieving equity, representing the diversity within our specialty, and actively including people engaged with the journal. Six main commitments were described: (i) ``we will define promote and embed common principles of EDI across all our work´´; (ii) ``we will monitor author characteristics to ensure EDIrelated transparency´´; (iii) ``we will champion principles of EDI in all of our activities´´; (iv) ``we will monitor and aim to recruit a diverse membership of the Editorial Board and ensure recruitment practices are transparent and adhere to our EDI principles´´;(v) ``we will attempt to remove systematic barriers restricting those from under-represented groups (including women, racial and ethnic minorities) from progressing into leadership roles within academic anaesthesia´´; and (vi) ``we will respond to threats and barriers to EDI principles´´. On behalf of all of the Editors of Anaesthesia Reports, we commend this position statement and the commitments therein and endorse it fullyWe have adopted the Anaesthesia position statement as a framework for EDI policies within Anaesthesia Reports [1].However, because of the distinct aims and content of the two journals, there are differences in how this framework should be applied. Case reports are often the first step in publication for clinicians, and rely on direct patient involvement, which often occurs in the course of daily work rather than by design. In this paper, we highlight some of the ways in which Anaesthesia Reports, as a journal that publishes primarily case reports, will work to promote EDI amongst its authors, in its manuscripts and in its governance processes. What does equity, diversity and inclusion mean for Anaesthesia Reports?By endorsing the Anaesthesia position statement on EDI, the Editors of Anaesthesia Reports acknowledge the need to promote the representation and participation of different groups of individuals, including in terms of age, ethnicity, ability and disability, neurodiversity, gender, religion, culture, socio-economic status, national income status, sexual orientation, physical appearance and level of trainingat the editorial level, authorship level and patient level.The EDI definitions used by the Anaesthesia Reports Editors are the same as those defined in the Anaesthesia Position statement [1]. As noted by our colleagues at Anaesthesia, we acknowledge that finding the appropriate terminology in this area can be complex. When considering EDI, we refer to ethnicity rather than race, acknowledging that ethnicity is how a person identifies themselves and is concerned with cultural identity, language or nationality. The term `ethnic minority´, though

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“…AI systems are already contributing to SDG 11 in numerous cities around the world, but their use for smart cities has been criticized for lacking genuine sustainability and citizen-centric approach as well as for being focused on highly developed economies [187]. Moreover, several targets ( ) and potential bias [192,[200][201][202][203][204][205]. Indeed, AI has been widely criticized for augmenting inequality, bias, discrimination, and reproducing hierarchies [204].…”

Section: Group 3: Ai As a DImentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, several targets ( ) and potential bias [192,[200][201][202][203][204][205]. Indeed, AI has been widely criticized for augmenting inequality, bias, discrimination, and reproducing hierarchies [204]. Even when AI could contribute to fighting discrimination by analyzing massive amounts of data (e.g., social networks, PNL, sentiment analysis), the negative impact outweighs any benefit.…”

Section: Group 3: Ai As a DImentioning

confidence: 99%

Operationalizing Digitainability: Encouraging mindfulness to harness the power of digitalization for sustainable development

Gupta¹,

Zeballos²,

Castro³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Digitalization is globally transforming the world with profound implications. It has enormous potential to foster progress toward sustainability. However, in its current form, digitalization also continues to enable and encourage practices with numerous unsustainable impacts affecting our environment, ingraining inequality, and degrading quality of life. There is an urgent need to identify such multifaceted impacts holistically. Impact assessment of digital interventions (DIs) leading to digitalization is important specifically for Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). Action is required to understand the pursuit of short-term gains toward achieving long-term value-driven sustainable development. We need to understand the impact of DIs on various actors and in diverse contexts. A holistic understanding of the impact it creates will help us align it with visions of sustainable development and identify potential measures to mitigate negative short and long-term impacts. The recently developed Digitainability Assessment Framework (DAF) unveils the impact of DIs with an in-depth context-aware assessment and offers an evidence-based impact profile of SDGs at the indicator level. We performed the impact assessment of diverse technologies using DAF. This paper summarizes the insights from the Digitainable Spring School 2022 on "Sustainability with Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence," one of whose goals was to operationalize the DAF as a tool in the action learning process with diverse professionals in the field of digitalization and sustainability. The DAF guides a holistic context-aware process formulation for a given DI. An evidence-based evaluation within the DAF protocol benchmarks a specific DI’s impact against the SDG indicators framework. The operationalization of the DAF was carried out by looking at four different DIs: smart home technologies (SHT) for energy efficiency, blockchain for food security, artificial intelligence for land use cover and changes (LUCC), and big data for international law. Each of the four studies addresses different DIs for digitainability assessment using different techniques for a diverse group of indicators, demonstrating the potential of the DAF but also outlining the existing data gaps that limit a comprehensive analysis.

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Artificial intelligence, algorithms, and social inequality: Sociological contributions to contemporary debates

Cited by 42 publications

References 100 publications

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Workers’ Skills: Upskilling and Reskilling in Organisations

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Workers’ Skills: Upskilling and Reskilling in Organisations

Position statement from the Editors of Anaesthesia Reports on equity, diversity and inclusion

Operationalizing Digitainability: Encouraging mindfulness to harness the power of digitalization for sustainable development

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