Foucault News

News and resources on French thinker Michel Foucault (1926-1984)

Nyman, S. The Birth of AI-driven Nudges (2023) Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2023-January, pp. 5252- 5261.
https://hdl.handle.net/10125/103276

Abstract
AI methods allow for a multitude of new forms of managerial control. One is algorithmic nudging, in which organizations use AI methods to control workers through targeted recommendations. Drawing upon Michel Foucault’s analytical strategies, the paper examines the intellectual heritage and ideological roots of AI-nudges. Scholars have commented on the resemblance between algorithmic nudging and Taylorist scientific management. However, as this paper shows the discourse of AI-nudges also shares significant linages with other subsequent opposing managerial paradigms. Building on the analysis of AI-nudges linages, the paper discusses how their use implies three contestable presumptions 1) that work can be codified, 2) that workers require autonomy over their work, and 3) that there is no existing conflict of interest between workers and the organization. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.
Author Keywords
Algorithmic control; Algorithmic management; Critical IS research; Genealogy; Nudging
Index Keywords
Algorithmic control, Algorithmic management, Algorithmics, Critical IS research, Genealogy, Michel Foucault, New forms, Nudging, Workers’

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