Abstract
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.
DOI
10.30658/hmc.7.2
Author ORCID Identifier
Christian Katzenbach: 0000-0003-1897-2783
Christian Pentzold: 0000-0002-6355-3150
Paloma Viejo Otero: 0000-0002-8475-8200
Recommended Citation
Katzenbach, C., Pentzold, C., & Viejo Otero, P. (2024). Smoothing out smart tech’s rough edges: Imperfect automation and the human fix. Human-Machine Communication, 7, 23-43. https://doi.org/10.30658/hmc.7.2
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