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Comparing head-mounted and handheld augmented reality for guided assembly
Full text linkDifferent Augmented Reality (AR) displays are becoming more commonly used for work since AR promises benefits by offering support, e.g., with additional information or hints. However, most research compares AR with traditional work support, like paper-based or web-based instructions. Since various AR technologies offer device-specific advantages and disadvantages, different AR technologies are more or less suitable to offer support without overwhelming or distracting the worker. Research, therefore, needs to derive empirical results from comparing different AR displays to derive concrete recommendations for action on the use and design of AR for specific contexts. To address this research gap, this experimental study investigates the effect of video-see-through head-mounted AR (Varjo XR-3) vs. handheld AR (Apple iPad) on performance (time and committed failure), motivation, and cognitive load for guided assembly. The study results reveal that both AR displays can successfully guide people in guided assembly tasks. On a descriptive level, the head-mounted AR device reveals slightly better results in terms of time and committed failures. Notably, the impact of technical restrictions on the study results was still evident. Accordingly, further investigation of device-specific differences is of continuing importance
China’s Deepening Infrastructural Capitalism: The Hard Landing of Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Automated Technology
Full text linkThis paper explores the rise of China’s infrastructural capitalism, a stage of global capitalism marked by state-led infrastructure development and the advent of digital platforms. Drawing on political economy and cultural studies, the author frames the current artificial intelligence and big data race between China and the United States as a new Cold War driven not by ideology but by competing capitalist logics. China’s model is seen as a response rather than an alternative to the limits of neoliberal capitalism, merging extractive, industrial, and digital forms of capital. The paper emphasizes the contradictions inherent in this system, particularly the exploitation of labor and environmental degradation. At the center of the analysis lies the concept of the “infrastructural power of labor,” which highlights how various worker subjects (e.g., factory, logistics, platform, and data laborers) are both shaped by and shape infrastructural capitalism. The paper calls for renewed attention to labor struggles and solidarity in the face of growing precarity in the artificial intelligence and automation-driven economy.The Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF
Weizenbaum Panel: Politische Partizipation in Deutschland 2019–2023, WP1-19–WP5-23 [Variablenübersicht]
No full textDiese Variablenübersicht liefert einen Überblick über alle erhobenen Konstrukte in den Wellen 1–5 des Weizenbaum Panels. Den dazugehörigen Datensatz, alle Fragebögen und Methodenberichte der bisherigen Erhebungen und eine Errata-Liste finden Sie unter: https://www.weizenbaum-library.de/handle/id/35Das Weizenbaum Panel wird gefördert durch das BMBF – Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschun
Why, with whom, and how to conduct interdisciplinary research? A review from a researcher’s perspective
Full text linkMany complex problems and emerging phenomena require joint research efforts across academic disciplines. Interdisciplinary research (IDR) is therefore widely considered a promising approach to knowledge production. At the same time, however, this form of research poses significant challenges for those involved. In this paper, we review the literature on IDR from the perspective of individual researchers engaging in or considering this type of research. We conducted a broad literature review covering the past 35 years of research on IDR. The review is structured along four typical questions that researchers have regarding IDR: “Why bother?” (Reasons for considering IDR); “Is it for me?” (The profile of IDR researchers); “How do I work with ‘them’?” (Obstacles of interdisciplinary collaboration); “What am I getting myself into?” (Challenges for IDR researchers). We analyzed the literature so that we could distill answers to those questions. We conclude our paper by emphasizing the inherent ambiguities of interdisciplinary research and proposing a set of self-reflective questions to help navigate the complexities of this research approach.This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) under grant nos 16DII131, 16DII133, and 16DII137 (‘Deutsches Internet-Institut’)
Editorial: Sustainable Artificial Intelligence – Critical and Constructive Reflections on Promises and Solutions, Amplifications and Contradictions
Full text linkThe developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) have seen many ups and downs since AI’s infancy. Recently, however, surprisingly powerful AI systems have been developed and are widely considered as silver bullets for any kind of social, ecological, political, scientific, or economic problem. However, the critical consideration of AI developments – especially their implications for society and the environment – has not been cultivated to the same extent. This imbalance leaves plenty of room for unreflective belief in technological progress and accompanying “techno-solutionism.” In order to inform and advance the debate regarding sustainability-oriented AI and the sustainability of AI itself, we compiled this thematic issue with reflections on the promises and solutions, amplifications and contradictions created by introducing AI into the sustainability endeavor and introducing sustainability-related application cases into AI development.The Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF
The differential effects of self-view in virtual meetings when speaking vs. listening
Full text linkWith the surging reliance on videoconferencing tools, users may find themselves staring at their reflections for hours a day. We refer to this phenomenon as self-referential information (SRI) consumption and examine its consequences and the mechanism behind them. Building on self-awareness research and the strength model of self-control, we argue that SRI consumption heightens the state of self-awareness and thereby depletes participants’ mental resources, eventually undermining virtual meeting (VM) outcomes. Our findings from a European employee sample revealed contrary effects of SRI consumption across speaker vs listener roles. Engagement with self-view is positively associated with self-awareness, which, in turn, is negatively related to satisfaction with VM process, perceived productivity, and enjoyment. Looking at the self while listening to others exhibits adverse direct and indirect (via self-awareness) effects on VM outcomes. However, looking at the self when speaking exhibits positive direct effects on satisfaction with VM process and enjoyment.This work was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) [grant no. 16DII127, 16DII131 (“Deutsches Internet-Institut”)
Die Tragödie des Access and Benefit-Sharings: Nutzungsregeln für genetische Ressourcen und digitale Sequenzinformation
Full text linkMehr als eine Million Arten sind vom Aussterben bedroht. Die Bilanz des Access and Benefit-Sharings mehr als 30 Jahre nach Unterzeichnung der Biodiversitätskonvention ist jedoch ernüchternd. Die vorliegende Dissertation zeigt mittels einer ökonomischen Analyse des Rechts, warum unter dem derzeitigen Property-Rights-Ansatz bislang kaum monetäre Vorteile aus der Nutzung von genetischen Ressourcen geteilt wurden. Stattdessen droht angesichts des aktuell verhandelten Access and Benefit-Sharings an digitaler Sequenzinformation eine Tragödie der Anticommons, also eine Unternutzung von genetischer Information. Als Lösung schlägt die Arbeit eine Kombination aus Property und Liability Rules für genetische Ressourcen und digitale Sequenzinformation vor, die eine Nutzung ermöglichen und gleichzeitig einen Vorteilsausgleich sicherstellen
Algorithmic Management in the Food Delivery Sector – a Contested Terrain?
Full text linkForms of algorithmic management (AM) play an essential role in organizing food-delivery work by deploying artificial intelligence-based systems to coordinate driver routes. Given the risks of precarity and threats posed by AM, which are typically related to (migrant) platform work, the question arises to what extent structures of co-determination can positively shape this type of work and the technologies involved. Based on an in-depth case study within a large food-delivery company, this article is guided by two questions:
(1) How do companies use algorithm-based management and performance control, and how do the couriers perceive them?
(2) What priorities, strategies, resources, and achievements do works councils and trade unions have with regard to co-determination practices?
Our analyses indicate that algorithmic management poses problems of non-transparency and information asymmetry, which in turn call for new forms of and procedures for co-determination. Our study does not find evidence that AM practices aim to individually profile and discipline couriers. The main challenges for the works council and trade unions arise from the couriers’ generally precarious working and employment conditions; data- and AM-related issues do not represent the central area of conflict. However, our study identifies new demands regarding the co-determination of AM and underlines the importance of institutional regulation at the legal and sectoral level.The Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF
Industrieller E-Commerce. Verfügbarmachung und Transformation von Wertschöpfung in der Teilefertigungsbranche
Full text linkIn unserem Beitrag analysieren wir distributionszentrierte Ansätze der Digitalisierung industrieller Produktion. Anhand einer Sektorstudie der Teilefertigung beschreiben wir drei Unternehmenstypen, die mit ihren Geschäftsmodellen distributionszentrierte Digitalisierungsansätze verfolgen: Online Kontraktfertiger, Digitale Fertigungsplattformen und Plattformalternativen. Empirische Grundlage sind Fallstudien und Expert*inneninterviews (insgesamt 35 Interviews) als auch ein Onlinesurvey unter 50 Teilefertigern. Im Fokus unserer Analyse stehen die Beschaffenheit neu entstehender Geschäftsmodelle, die Governance der Beziehungen zwischen Digitalunternehmen, ihren Kunden und den etablierten Unternehmen der Branche sowie die räumliche Reorganisation von Produktion und Arbeit. Aus der Perspektive der KMU der Teilefertigungsbranche birgt der Wandel Gefahren einer Verdrängung durch Online Kontraktfertiger und eines verschärften Kostenwettlaufs durch digitale Fertigungsplattformen, die eine größere Transparenz und Vergleichbarkeit der (globalen) Anbieter ermöglichen. Zugleich ermöglichen digitale Vermittlungsformen verbesserte Marktzugänge und Potenziale zur Aufwertung kleinbetrieblicher Produktionsstrukturen. Die Frage, welche Ansätze sich dabei durchsetzen und welche Regulierungsmöglichkeiten ggf. genutzt werden, hat einen hohen Stellenwert für die Entwicklung der Räumlichkeit der Produktion und die Gestaltung von Arbeitsverhältnissen innerhalb der jeweiligen Pfade