A Cross-Cultural Study of Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, Work and Family
人工智能、社交媒体对工作与生活边界影响的跨国比较研究
技术，尤其是人工智能和算法，正在改变人们的工作方式，它也在以改变家庭关系的方式将家庭联系起来。工作交流和社会互动越来越多地在网上进行，例如，人们可以通过移动设备随时随地访问微信等应用程序。这些变化往往会模糊工作和家庭之间的界限，为人们提供有关连接、自我呈现和边界管理的决策。微信作为一种“粘性”应用，比Facebook、Twitter和其他西方网络服务更易于使用，更深度地融入人们的日常生活。除此之外，一些新兴的人工智能应用，如聊天机器人，模糊了对我们关于人与机器的边界。我们的研究旨在帮助人们更好地了解数字化如何改变人们的日常工作、生活以及人际关系，在此基础上，试图回答人类如何应用人工智能、社交媒体等创造更加美好的明天。我们将采用跨国访谈的方式，比较中国人和北美人的经历和看法, 从而揭示不同文化中，数字化应用带来的不同效应。
项目将由中国上海对外经贸大学与加拿大魁北克大学合作研究，旨在帮助人们更好地了解数字化如何改变人们的日常工作、生活以及人际关系，在此基础上，试图回答人类如何应用人工智能、社交媒体等创造更加美好的明天。因为技术只能在其社会背景下理解, 将采用跨国访谈的方式，比较中国人和北美人的经历和看法, 从而揭示不同文化中，数字化应用带来的不同效应。
A Cross-Cultural Study of Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, Work and Family (CCAI)
Technology, and in particular artificial intelligence and algorithms, are changing the ways in which people experience work, and are connecting families in ways that change relationships within the family. Moreover, work communications and social interactions are increasingly taking place online, through applications such as WeChat for instance, on devices one can access anytime anywhere. While these dynamics may foster trust and cohesion within work teams and families, they blur the boundaries between work and family, presenting people with decisions to make regarding connectivity, self-presentation, and boundary management.
WeChat, as a “sticky” application, is easier to use, and more integrated in people’s everyday life (e.g., for work, social interactions, payments, administrative services), than Facebook, Twitter and other Western web service. In addition to WeChat, some emerging artificial intelligence applications, such as chatbots, blur the boundaries between human and machine.
Our research aims at contributing a better understanding of how artificial intelligence, social media and other technology may help to create a better tomorrow. A unique feature of our project is that we will compare people’s experiences and perceptions in China and North America to situate these experiences in their cultural contexts, providing much needed cross-cultural insights.