Understanding the complexity of AI adoption in the public sector through Edgar Morin's dialogical principle

Comprendre la complexité d'une situation d'adoption de l'intelligence artificielle dans le secteur public grâce au principe dialogique d'Edgar

Sylvie Michel () and Magalie Duarte ()
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Sylvie Michel: UB - Université de Bordeaux
Magalie Duarte: CEREN - Centre de Recherche sur l'ENtreprise [Dijon] - BSB - Burgundy School of Business (BSB) - Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Dijon Bourgogne (ESC), LEMNA - Laboratoire d'économie et de management de Nantes Atlantique - Nantes Univ - IAE Nantes - Nantes Université - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises - Nantes - Nantes Université - pôle Sociétés - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université

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Abstract: The present study explores the process of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector through the lens of complex thought and, more specifically, Edgar Morin's dialogical principle. The use of AI in the public sector generates significant societal and organizational tensions. The existing literature characterizes these tensions and provides insights into the rationale (the "what" and the "why") behind AI adoption. The present study focuses on the process of AI adoption itself. To do this, it mobilizes the dialogical principle, which seeks to unite complementary and antagonistic forces rather than overcome them. It argues that this principle is essential to describe and understand these dynamics as they unfold during the decision-making process around AI adoption. This study adopts a qualitative and interpretive methodology, based on six months of immersion in the innovation department of a social housing provider involved in developing a predictive model for assessing residents' risk of loss of autonomy. The adoption process is characterized by the emergence of three key antagonisms, as highlighted through our narrative approach: first, the tension between algorithmic rationalization and the organization's social-support mission; second, the opposition between tacit and explicit knowledge within community-based professions; and third, the dilemma between surveillance and privacy. The dialogical reading proposed here, consistent with Morin's framework of complex thought, proves more fruitful for understanding and addressing these antagonisms than a binary or factorial decision model of whether or not to adopt AI. The study thus proposes a renewed analytical framework to support public-sector decision-makers in navigating AI adoption, emphasizing the importance of an integrative approach that brings together technical, social, and ethical dimensions. This study provides insight into the AI adoption process in the public sector and encourages in-depth reflection on the conditions for a responsible and context-sensitive adoption of these technologies. Keywords: artificial intelligence, complex thought, public action, dialogical, adoption

Keywords: adoption; dialogique; action publique; Morin; pensée complexe; intelligence artificielle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05438549v1
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Published in Revue internationale de psychosociologie et de gestion des comportements organisationnels, 2025, XXXI (4), pp.95-119. ⟨10.54695/rips4.087.0095⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05438549

DOI: 10.54695/rips4.087.0095

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