Worker Perspectives on Incorporating Artificial Intelligence into Office Workspaces: Implications for the Future of Office Work

Yoko E. Fukumura, Julie McLaughlin Gray, Gale M. Lucas, Burcin Becerik-Gerber and Shawn C. Roll
Additional contact information
Yoko E. Fukumura: Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Julie McLaughlin Gray: Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Gale M. Lucas: Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Burcin Becerik-Gerber: Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Shawn C. Roll: Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Workplace environments have a significant impact on worker performance, health, and well-being. With machine learning capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI) can be developed to automate individualized adjustments to work environments (e.g., lighting, temperature) and to facilitate healthier worker behaviors (e.g., posture). Worker perspectives on incorporating AI into office workspaces are largely unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore office workers’ views on including AI in their office workspace. Six focus group interviews with a total of 45 participants were conducted. Interview questions were designed to generate discussion on benefits, challenges, and pragmatic considerations for incorporating AI into office settings. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an iterative approach. Two primary constructs emerged. First, participants shared perspectives related to preferences and concerns regarding communication and interactions with the technology. Second, numerous conversations highlighted the dualistic nature of a system that collects large amounts of data; that is, the potential benefits for behavior change to improve health and the pitfalls of trust and privacy. Across both constructs, there was an overarching discussion related to the intersections of AI with the complexity of work performance. Numerous thoughts were shared relative to future AI solutions that could enhance the office workplace. This study’s findings indicate that the acceptability of AI in the workplace is complex and dependent upon the benefits outweighing the potential detriments. Office worker needs are complex and diverse, and AI systems should aim to accommodate individual needs.

Keywords: workspace; office work; computer workstations; artificial intelligence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/1690/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/1690/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:1690-:d:496950

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().