Making cyber-human systems smarter

The term smart is often used carelessly in relation to systems, devices, and other entities such as cities that capture or otherwise process or use information. This conceptual paper treats the idea of smartness in a way that suggests directions for making cyber-human systems smarter. Cyber-human sy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Information systems (Oxford) 2025-01, Vol.127, p.102428, Article 102428
Main Author: Alter, Steven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithmic agents
Cyber-human system
Facets of work
Information system engineering
Smartness of systems and devices
Work system
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Summary:The term smart is often used carelessly in relation to systems, devices, and other entities such as cities that capture or otherwise process or use information. This conceptual paper treats the idea of smartness in a way that suggests directions for making cyber-human systems smarter. Cyber-human systems can be viewed as work systems. This paper defines work system, cyber-human system, algorithmic agent, and smartness of systems and devices. It links those ideas to challenges that can be addressed by applying ideas that managers and IS designers discuss rarely, if at all, such as dimensions of smartness for devices and systems, facets of work, roles and responsibilities of algorithmic agents, different types of engagement and patterns of interaction between people and algorithmic agents, explicit use of various types of knowledge objects, and performance criteria that are often deemphasized. In combination, those ideas reveal many opportunities for IS analysis and design practice to make cyber-human systems smarter.
ISSN:0306-4379
DOI:10.1016/j.is.2024.102428