Custodial Work for Algorithmic Systems:
Researching and Shaping the Use of Algorithms and AI in Dutch Public Management
Mirko Schäfer, Utrecht University
(Chair: Katja Mayer, Department Science and Technology Studies)
Students are especially welcome — this is a great opportunity to experience STS in action, learn about collaborative research in practice, and enjoy lunch together.
Abstract
The Data School at Utrecht University has developed an action research approach to investigating the use of algorithmic systems and AI in public management organisations. They enter these organisations not as mere researchers but rather as experts who participate actively in collaborative research, problem solving, and training employees and management. The position as active participants and collaborators provides them with privileged access to organisations, people, and discourses, and also allows for efficient knowledge transfer and intervention.
This talk reports from what happens behind the scenes of our digital transformation and beyond the AI hype. It reveals the tedious, invisible, often unacknowledged and unrewarded labour that is needed for making algorithms work responsibly. Studying these efforts also allows us to understand and describe the socio-technical quality of algorithmic systems, which informs practices of value-sensitive design development, impact assessments, audits, and iterative performance reviews of algorithms. Looking at these efforts also opens up a perspective on how the interplay of custodial work and contesting algorithmic systems constitutes necessary checks and balances for a democratic digital society.
Bio
Mirko Tobias Schäfer is Associate Professor of AI, Data & Society at Utrecht University (NL). As Science Lead of the Data School, he investigates the impact of datafication and algorithmisation on public management and media industries. With the Data School, he builds applicable processes for responsible AI and its governance. He is an appointed member of the Analytics Advisory Committee at the Ministry of Finance in the Netherlands. Schäfer holds a Ph.D. from Utrecht University and is currently a visiting professor at the University of Helsinki
Further Reading
- Schäfer, Mirko. 2024. “Inside Datafication: Entrepreneurial Research for Investigating Emerging Data Practices.” Collaborative Research in the Datafied Society: Methods and Practices of Investigation and Intervention. Amsterdam University Press, pp. 61–86. (https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/92631/1/9789048555925.pdf#page=64)
- Schäfer, Mirko, Karin van Es, and Tracey Lauriault. "Making a Difference: The Epistemic Value of Collaborative Research in a Datafied Society." Collaborative Research in the Datafied Society: Methods and Practices for Investigation and Intervention. Amsterdam University Press, 2024. 19-33. )https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/92631/9789048555925.pdf?sequence=1#page=22)