Acceptance of conceptual engineering models for new technologies

Abstract: Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0 initiatives represent a transformation of focus in new technology design to information and human based thinking. Change in paradigm requires conceptual engineering in design thinking when introduced with new concepts such as human or cognitive digital twin (HDT/CDT). It is important also to ask, how people accept new kinds of conceptual models related to technology design. We present an empirical investigation on how acceptance of the HDT proceeds in the minds of people who encounter a novel conceptual model of technology design for the first time. The investigation took place in two workshops. Results suggest that acceptance of HDT as a new conceptual model needs to consider at least four themes: 1. understanding possibilities for HDT application and design, 2. identifying perceived value conflicts, 3. information collection, communication, and sharing underlying HDT design, and 4. HDT’s relation to work meaningfulness, experience and learning. Thus, to fully explicate the possibilities of HDTs require understanding them as part of designing joint cognitive systems, that future technology aims to augment people, collecting and sharing high-level tacit knowledge (HTK) enables improvement of work processes, and that design of HDTs needs to follow contemporary interaction and human-centered AI (HCAI) principles. These are important aspects in maintaining worker’s sense of pride and creativity, and for designing work for future hybrid teams.

Keywords: Human Digital Twins, Cognitive digital twins, Conceptual engineering, Joint cognitive systems

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007146

Cite this paper:

​