A new sociology of humans and machines

TL;DR

A new sociology of humans and machines is called for to study groups and networks comprising multiple interacting humans and algorithms, bots or robots to ensure more robust and resilient human–machine communities.

Abstract

From fake social media accounts and generative artificial intelligence chatbots to trading algorithms and self-driving vehicles, robots, bots and algorithms are proliferating and permeating our communication channels, social interactions, economic transactions and transportation arteries. Networks of multiple interdependent and interacting humans and intelligent machines constitute complex social systems for which the collective outcomes cannot be deduced from either human or machine behaviour alone. Under this paradigm, we review recent research and identify general dynamics and patterns in situations of competition, coordination, cooperation, contagion and collective decision-making, with context-rich examples from high-frequency trading markets, a social media platform, an open collaboration community and a discussion forum. To ensure more robust and resilient human-machine communities, we require a new sociology of humans and machines. Researchers should study these communities using complex system methods; engineers should explicitly design artificial intelligence for human-machine and machine-machine interactions; and regulators should govern the ecological diversity and social co-development of humans and machines.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: Human-machine social systems include multiple algorithms, bots, or robots that interact among themselves and with humans in groups and networks. Existing fields tend to either approach machines as media or interfaces, not autonomous actors or agents, or focus on their cognition and decision-making, not group interactions with humans. We call for a new sociology of humans and machines to study the human behavior, machine behavior, and the human-human, human-machine, and machine-machine interactions simultaneously in these complex systems.
• Figure 2: Collective outcomes in human-machine social systems differ from those in human-only systems. Machines behave differently from humans and in social systems with covert artificial agents, even if humans, unaware of the presence of machines, do not change their behavior, the collective outcomes will differ simply because machines act differently. Further, the two types of actors and their interactions are interdependent and influence each other. Thus, suspicion or awareness of machine presence can change human behavior and interacting with a machine and observing machine-machine interactions can influence how humans act toward each other.