Digitalisation & Artificial Intelligence

The research area digitalisation & artificial intelligence deals with individual and societal effects of new digital technologies. In addition to the analysis of technology acceptance and user behaviour, the research area focuses on the impact assessment of digital technologies. It is being researched how digitalisation and the introduction and development of artificial intelligence (AI) should be carried out in order to benefit users and society. With a needs-based, reflective and anticipatory approach, questions of acceptance, ethics, diversity and data protection are addressed. For instance:

Which objections of people affected by digitalisation need to be addressed and how?
How can an AI algorithm be programmed so that it does not discriminate against people?
What data can an industrial robot collect without affecting the rights and needs of employees?

Our research approaches include e. g. the use of psychologically validated questionnaires as well as the early involvement of stakeholders according to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).

For more information, please contact Anita Thaler.

Research Topic

Digitisation/Artificial Intelligence

Our projects on this research topic

GenCon - Gender and Diversity Considerations for Responsible Research beyond Al Tech

The strategic project, which is funded by COMET and carried out jointly by Pro²Future and IFZ, is intended to sensitize Pro²Future researchers to how gender and diversity can be taken into account and integrated in application-oriented research projects, especially those that use artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

VEKIAA - Responsible integration of AI assistants at the workplace

The project VEKIAA investigated how the workplace integration of digital assistants based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be done in the most responsible way possible.

Feasibility analysis for the development of a digital central exposure database in Austria

In the project, the feasibility of a digital central database was examined. In such a database, data on the exposure to hazardous working materials for employees in Austria should be recorded and stored for a period of 40 years. The main focus was on social data and chemical or physical data on workplace exposure and not on medical data such as findings from suitability and follow-up examinations of workers.

dAIalog.at - Fostering fairness of and trust in AI through formats of participatory technology design

dAIalog.at aims at creating new methods of participatory technology design for the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) through workshops.

Smart Meter Rollout – Socioscientific Accompanying Research

IFZ accompanies the first smart meter rollout of the company "Energienetze Steiermark" (provider of the styrian electricity grid) in a socioscientific way with the help of interviews and focus groups, in order to determine the concerns of the customers and to make recommendations for a socially acceptable introduction of smart meters.

€CO2-Management: Accompanying Research

The project examined the contribution of Smart Meters to the energy reduction of private homes.