When Harry, the human, met Sally, the software robot: Metaphorical sensemaking and sensegiving around an emergent digital technology

Abstract

Robotic process automation (RPA) is often used in organisational digitalisation efforts to automate work processes. RPA, and the software robots at its heart, is an equivocal and contentious technology Adopting the products of theorising approach, this study views metaphors as central sensemaking and sensegiving devices that shape the interpretation of RPA among stakeholders towards a preferred reality of ways of seeing and experiencing software robots. The empirical materials are drawn from research in three Australasian organisations that have implemented RPA. Grounding our analysis in the domains-interaction model, we identified three root metaphors: person, robot, and tool, their constitutive conceptual metaphors, and intended use as heuristics devices. Our findings show that metaphor is a powerful device that employees rely on to make sense of their experiences with a new digital technology that can potentially shape their roles, work practices and job design. In addition, managers and automation team members intentionally leverage metaphors to shape others’ perceptions of a software robot’s capabilities and limitations, its implication for human work, and its expanding benefits for organisations over time, among others. Metaphor as a precursor to more formal theory provides scholars with a vocabulary to understand disparate experiences with an emergent automation technology that can be further developed to generate a theory of seeing automation and working with automated agents.

Exploring the impact of language models, such as ChatGPT, on student learning and assessment

“…They can help students acquire knowledge and skills (Khan et al., 2023; Thontirawong & Chinchanachokchai, 2021). However, language models are tools, not persons (Techatassanasoontorn et al., 2023). They will likely provide an acceptable explanation and relevant information in response to a prompt (Farrokhnia et al., 2023; Huh, 2023).…”

“…While students and educators make choices of whom to love, build a relationship with, and allow any control over their lives (Clarke, 2023; Ramage, 2023; Tong, 2023), replacing a natural human with a generative AI tool in this relationship is intriguing. Future research can explore metaphorical sense‐making (Techatassanasoontorn et al., 2023) of educators and students of language models and if there will be implications and if such implications are concerning.…”