A sociotechnical perspective of Artificial Intelligence in the context of Industry 4.0: The impact of AI on the social dimension of sustainability

Abstract: Due to the increasingly concerning threat of climate change, organizations, including industrial companies, are pressured by various stakeholders to consider their impact on the environment, economy and society. The Industry 4.0 (I4.0) revolution enables companies to use new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address the challenge of making a positive impact on sustainability. However, research has shown that less attention has been paid to social sustainability, especially in the field of AI in the context of Industry 4.0. In this qualitative research, we interviewed AI and sustainability experts to develop a conceptual framework from a sociotechnical perspective that demonstrates how AI influences the impact of the social dimension of sustainability. Based on our findings, AI is used in production to, for instance, automate repetitive tasks and help the worker be more efficient. However, AI is not yet used to its full capacity. Even though social sustainability is measured or planned to be measured in companies, the focus remains on the economic and environmental dimensions. Nevertheless, companies should not neglect social sustainability, and as our research shows, AI, when implemented in the right way with good communication and transparency, can impact positively the social dimension.