Project duration:04/2021 – 03/2025
Project management:Prof. Dr. Uta Wilkens, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Kuhlenkötter
Project staff (coordination & processing):Niklas Obermann, Dr. Antonia Weirich, Dr. Valentin Langholf
Funding:Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Funding code:02L19C200
Focus of funding: Kompetenzzentrum HUMAINE – Transfer-Hub der Metropole Ruhr für die humanzentrierte Arbeit mit KI
Website:humaine.info

Background

In the research project ” HUMAINE – HUMan-centered AI NEtwork: Transfer-Hub and Competence Center of the Ruhr area “, methods for the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into work processes are developed and tested, which serve to improve working and living conditions. The focus is on innovative methods at the interface between the development of AI, the implementation of AI and the use of AI. Analysis and validation are performed with the help of practical pilot applications based in healthcare industry and industrial SMEs. Synergies between the fields will be exploited and successive multipliers for applications in other industries will be integrated. Solutions are transferred beyond the original context for regionally based companies via the HUMAINE competence center The focus is on the reliability of AI, user-friendliness, support for employees while consistently utilizing the performance potential of humans in the work process, and the development of new business models in order to achieve growth. The social acceptance of AI and addressing its potential for better working conditions to avoid AI serving purely rationalization is of importance.

In the future, the regional competence center HUMAINE will become the first point of call for companies in the region interested in AI with the aim to establish employee-centered work environments and provide consulting and development services as well as networking opportunities. Certified training courses are another important field of offering. The competence center will be located at the Mark 51 ̊7 startup and technology campus in Bochum. A long-term development cooperation between science and practice, organized via memberships, is to be established and used for the sustainable development of regional economic power.

The role of the IAW

Overall project coordination and scientific management

The IAW is in charge of the overall project coordination and the scientific project management in cooperation with the Chair of Production Systems. The focus is on quality assurance of the developed methods and their multiplication. Once the competence center HUMAINE is established, the solutions will be accessible to the regional economy via a suitable business model Through the competence center, the developed methods of human-centered development of AI and use of AI will be transferred to research, industry, health economy and education.

Scientific Subproject Sociotechnical Workflow Analysis

At the IAW, new methods for sociotechnical workflow analysis are being developed, enabling human-centered considerations of AI in cross-domain work processes. For the development of novel processes as well as the integration of artificial intelligence into existing processes, workflow analysis clarifies new role understandings in human-technology interaction. Another focus is the increased need for information and feedback loops enabling technical and organizational system evolution. As a basis for human-centered AI integration, these aspects will be examined with various practice partners and are going to be used in further conceptual design.

Scientific subproject AI role development

In this subproject, the IAW is developing several innovative methods focusing on the identification and promotion oft necessary competencies for the various roles in the development of AI and use of AI. To this end, AI-specific scenarios are being developed within the project and used for training purposes in the IAW’s ThinkSpace and CollaborationSpace. As the social acceptance of AI applications during the development of methods is of importance, factors that increase acceptance will be empirically determined, applied, and validated in different companies during the course of the project.

Program

The HUMAINE competence center is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in the program „Zukunft der Wertschöpfung – Forschung zu Produktion, Dienstleistung und Arbeit [Future of Value Creation – Research on Production, Services and Work]“ and supervised by the Pojektträger Karlsruhe (PTKA; project partner) (funding code: 02L19C200). The funding comprises around 8 million euros for an initial period of four years (04/2021-03/2025).

Project consortium

The project brings together researchers from the fields of work science, neuroinformatics, engineering, psychology and social science with stakeholders from various medium-sized companies and transfer specialists in the Ruhr region.

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