Artificial Interaction: Power and Labour in the Digital Society

Polycentricity theory is predicated on the existence of multiple decision-making centres within a metropolitan area, collectively using a mutually agreed conventional system of governance. The digital transformation has increasingly integrated agentic computational artefacts (or artificial intelligence systems) into these social arrangements, thereby extending the concept of polycentricity to encompass ‘digital polycentricity.’ Digital polycentricity can be examined through four distinct ‘lenses’: interactional, governmental, architectural, and axiological. In this paper, we employ the interactional lens to study artificial interaction. Our analysis highlights several critical issues related to power and labour in the digital society. To mitigate these issues, we propose two strategies for developing Value-Sensitive Operationalisation (VSO), a framework aimed at guiding the creation of socio-technical systems that are fit-for-purpose and contextually appropriate. These strategies include: 1) leveraging digital data objects to support collective action, and 2) embedding a sense of place in the design of algorithms. By using these strategies, VSO practitioners can develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems that effectively meet user needs and cultivate a human–AI relationship designed to re-empower human stakeholders.