Paper short abstract:

Contingent communication with AI challenges the old European dichotomy of body and mind by diversifying forms of embodiment. Our paper argues that AI agents made of wires, code and interfaces constitute a new form of embodiment that alters social differentiation and that society has yet to learn.

Paper long abstract:

Recent developments in AI make contingent communication with artificial agents a probable fact. While they seem to rely more on computational power than on a body to function, they still need to find a form of representation that is aligned with the human world. But what form of embodiment can AI agents have, and how will they change social differentiation?

Every AI agent is primarily embodied throughout a computer processing and wires transmitting the data that comprise it. Secondarily, it may be displayed as an avatar or text on a graphical interface, spoken via a loudspeaker, or embodied as a robot – determining upon which affordances it can act. Third, from an everyday perspective, an embodiment is the material aspect of an entity – usually thought of as delimitable and uniform – that serves as the representation of ‘itself’. Contrary to the common (organic) understanding of actors, AI agents may be translocally embodied or be able to re- and co-embody different devices, thus challenging the old European dichotomy of body and mind, still present in society.

Our contribution tests the theoretical argument, that these AI agents constitute a specific form of embodiment that society has yet to learn. New formal and informal norms of AI use can be expected to emerge when interactions with them increase in quantity and quality. We will outline this aspect by drawing on a scenario-based interview study with medical experts, focusing in particular on the interplay between embodiment, organizations, and representation of artificial identities.

Paper short abstract:

In an avatar café, remotely controlled robots become alter egos for people with disabilities, mediate interaction, offer opportunities for social participation, and challenge notions of “disability.” Yet, they also risk being technological fixes to social problems, untouched by welfare policies.

Paper long abstract:

In the DAWN Avatar Robot Café in Tokyo, people with difficulties leaving their homes – the majority with disabilities – remotely control an avatar robot called OriHime that functions as their alter ego and with which they serve the guests. There are about 70 OriHime pilots scattered all over Japan. Some pilots show a picture on a screen next to the robot stating medical or psychological conditions; others prefer not to show themselves and list their favorite foods or hobbies.

Avatar robots offer the opportunity to free individuals of sociocultural markers such as appearance, ethnicity, age, or gender and to (re)construct and play with their identities. In my presentation, I explore what it means when avatar robots become a second body in the physical world and mediate social interaction. Drawing on fieldwork in the café and interviews with the avatar pilots, I explore their perception of social participation, work, and disability. I show how the avatar opens up new opportunities for social participation, leads to a feeling of independence and belonging, helps to regain or adopt a positive attitude towards the future, and challenges common understandings of “disability.” Moreover, I contextualize these avatar technologies within the Japanese government’s science and technology research and development strategy – such as the concept of a super smart society (society 5.0) and the “Moonshot Research and Development Program” – and argue that these technologies also risk being technological fixes to social problems (Robertson 2007, Šabanović 2014), which remain untouched by welfare policies.

Paper short abstract:

It has often been emphasized that digitalization has fundamental effects on the sense of touch. Our paper aims to reconstruct the historical and sociological conditions of social interactions in relation to digital media. A particular focus is on the aspect of “mediated social touch”.

Paper long abstract:

Even though digitalization has shifted many social processes and interactions to a virtual level, physical "social" contact retains a peculiar significance. Sociologically (i.e. in terms of social theory), interaction is primarily communication. As a rule, this occurs without any haptic-based contact at all. However, it is undisputed that "social" touch plays an important role as a very specific form of haptics.

Various trends can be observed that realize or address haptic experiences in digital interaction spaces. With advancing developments in VR and AR, interest is growing in technologies that can simulate tactile experiences in order to create more immersive experiences. However, even before VR and AR, digitalization has led to the development of haptic technologies, such as haptic feedback systems in smartphones and game consoles, which attempt to recreate the feeling of physical touch in digital environments. It is completely unclear whether there is a longing for real, physical contact and whether touch can serve as a counterbalance to virtual exchange and satisfy the need for "real" experiences.

The "digital transformation" has put "social touch" back on the agenda of sociological interaction research and theory. Can interaction as a social relationship do without forms of haptic-based contacts? Is the need for "social touch" increasing due to the increase of interactions in digital "touch-free" spaces? And where does social touch actually take place? In the virtual space ("figurative") or in the physical space of action of the human actor ("literal")?

Paper short abstract:

The study focuses on the role of technology and gender in shaping subjectivities within Turkey's online neurodiversity communities, highlighting the role of digital platforms in the formation of neurodiverse subjectivities

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the intersection of digital technologies and social differentiation through the lens of the neurodiversity movement in Turkey, emphasizing how mediated social identities and 'proximity at a distance' contribute to new forms of social inclusion and participation. In the context of increasing digitalization and diversification, digital communities offer a unique opportunity to study the formation of hybrid subjectivities, particularly at the intersection of neurodiversity and LGBTQ movements. These online spaces challenge traditional notions of expertise and authority by fostering environments where personal experiences and identities are validated and shared across geographical and cultural boundaries. This study then highlights the transformative potential of digital proximity by examining the role of digital platforms in facilitating these emergent forms of community and identity. It investigates how these technological mediums allow for the expression and recognition of diverse identities, and thereby contributing to a broader reconfiguration of social structures, meanings, and practices. The negotiations over neurodiverse and LGBTQ subjectivities within these digital spaces offer insights into the changing perceptions of difference and belonging in Turkey since the 1980s. Through an analysis of how Turkey's digital communities facilitate new understandings of expertise and identity, the paper will reveal the potential of digital technologies to enhance social inclusion and participation in an increasingly polarized society

Paper short abstract:

Generative AI saves a lot of time in dealing with many routine jobs in human resources management. However, like a sword with two edges, it brings us the benefit of efficiency, the risk of job-losing might be coming near.

Paper long abstract:

Quite a few international organizations, think tanks, enterprises and other institutions generally believe that AI has a significant and complex impact on employment. Firstly, the emergence of AI will create new job opportunities and positions, the same as the emergence of other new technologies and new equipment in history. The World Labor Organization estimated that the overwhelming impact of generative artificial intelligence GPT-4 would augment jobs rather than automate jobs. INSEAD traced the relationship between the invention of ATMs and employment and believed that generative AI would also increase employment. Secondly, the emergence of AI will replace part of human labor. McKinsey analysts assume that some low-wage jobs are more likely to be affected by the generative AI and face unemployment or job relocation. The impact of AI on employment also varies depending on the different types of economies, job positions, and genders. Relevant data demonstrated that higher-income economies, occupation with the background of algorithmic or clerical-type, and female employees will more likely to be affected.

A case study in AI applied in human resources illustrated the width and depth how it was integrated with service industry. AI performs well in job descriptions, resume screening, interviews, development planning, and even employee relations, which is time saving and energy saving. However, it also proposes the challenge for HR personnels themselves that they have to think how much their job would be substituted by AI.