Product Intelligence: Its Conceptualization, Measurement and Impact on Consumer Satisfaction

In the last decade, companies have developed a large number of intelligent products. Due to the use of information technology, these products, for example, are able to work autonomously, cooperate with other products, or adapt to changing circumstances. Although intelligent products appear an attractive category of products, they have received little attention in the literature. The present article provides a conceptualization of the new construct of product intelligence and describes the development procedure of a measure for the construct. In addition, the article sets up and empirically tests a conceptual framework in which product intelligence leads to consumer satisfaction through the innovation attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity. Managerial implications for new product development and marketing of intelligent products are considered and suggestions for further research provided.Adoption;Innovation;Intelligent products;New product development;Smart products

Strengthening Human Autonomy. In the era of autonomous technology

‘Autonomous technologies’ refers to systems that make decisions without explicit human control or interaction. This conceptual paper explores the notion of autonomy by first exploring human autonomy, and then using this understanding to analyze how autonomous technology could or should be modelled. First, we discuss what human autonomy means. We conclude that it is the overall space for action—rather than the degree of control—and the actual choices, or number of choices, that constitutes human autonomy. Based on this, our second discussion leads us to suggest the term datanomous to denote technology that builds on, and is restricted by, its own data when operating autonomously. Our conceptual exploration brings forth a more precise definition of human autonomy and datanomous systems. Finally, we conclude this exploration by suggesting that human autonomy can be strengthened by datanomous technologies, but only if they support the human space for action. It is the purpose of human activity that determines if technology strengthens or weakens human autonomy

Product Intelligence: Its Conceptualization, Measurement and Impact on Consumer Satisfaction

In the last decade, companies have developed a large number of intelligent products. Due to the use of information technology, these products, for example, are able to work autonomously, cooperate with other products, or adapt to changing circumstances. Although intelligent products appear an attractive category of products, they have received little attention in the literature. The present article provides a conceptualization of the new construct of product intelligence and describes the development procedure of a measure for the construct. In addition, the article sets up and empirically tests a conceptual framework in which product intelligence leads to consumer satisfaction through the innovation attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity. Managerial implications for new product development and marketing of intelligent products are considered and suggestions for further research provided

Liability issues with Artificial Intelligence in the national and international context

The pro gradu -thesis discusses the liability issues regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, especially liability of robots and other autonomous machines, and it provides an answer to the question “Who is liable when AI makes a mistake?” This problem is looked first from the national and more individual perspective and then from an international perspective regarding the state’s responsibility and jurisdiction. The main issue can is that if, for example, a self-driving car collides with another vehicle, who then can be held liable as instead of a human, the car was driven by an algorithm. As there is no human driver, the responsible party needs to be found somewhere else, and it could be the owner or the manufacturer of the car, the software designer or at some point maybe even the AI itself. Also, no one can be blamed without reasons or applicable law, so there is a need for suitable reasoning to hold the party liable, and the legislations need to be updated to recognise the liable party regarding the new technology. These same aspects are also examined by the point of view of international law and treaties, especially regarding state jurisdiction and responsibility. The research method of this study is a qualitative and a bit legal dogmatic method. My primary sources are different articles and reports on AI liability and various international books from important international law authors as well as publications from international organisations. Also, different national and international guidelines and legislation have an integral part in regulating AI, and therefore they are also utilised and analysed. The findings of this research are that there is not just one and simple answer to the questions about the liable party, and the liable person depends greatly on the situation. The manufacturer could often be held strictly liable for any damage caused by the AI product. In addition, the owner of the product could be held liable in the same way as the owner of the animal and in the future robots could get personhood similar to the personhood of the companies, which would make the robot liable for itself. However, the legislation in this area is a bit behind from the technological development internationally and nationally. That means that the law needs to catch up with the technical development so victims can get compensated by the right liable party.Tutkielma käsittelee tekoälyä koskevia vastuukysymyksiä, liittyen erityisesti robotteihin ja muihin autonomisiin koneisiin. Tutkielma myös pyrkii vastaamaan kysymykseen ”Kuka on vastuussa, kun tekoäly tekee virheen?” Tätä kysymystä ja koko vastuuongelmaa tarkastellaan kansallisesta ja yksilöllisestä näkökulmasta sekä kansainvälisestä näkökulmasta. Pääkysymys on, että jos esimerkiksi itse ajava auto törmää toiseen ajoneuvoon, kuka on vastuussa, koska ihmisen sijaan algoritmi ajoi autoa. Koska kuljettajaa ei ole, joku muu on vastuussa oleva henkilö, joka voi olla auton omistaja tai valmistaja, ohjelmistosuunnittelija tai jopa tekoäly itse. Ketään myöskään ei voida syyttää ilman aihetta tai sovellettavaa lakia, joten vastuunalaisen henkilön löytämiseksi on oltava asianmukaiset perustelut. Myös lakien täytyy olla ajan tasalla koskien uutta teknologiaa ja siihen liittyviä vastuukysymyksiä. Näitä samoja asioita tarkastellaan myös kansainvälisen oikeuden ja sopimusten näkökulmasta, erityisesti valtioiden lainkäyttövallan ja vastuun osalta. Tutkielman metodi on laadullinen sekä osittain myös oikeusdogmaattinen. Ensisijaisina lähteinä ovat erilaiset artikkelit ja raportit tekoälyn vastuusta, kansainvälisen oikeuden kirjoitukset tärkeiltä kansainvälisen oikeuden kirjoittajilta sekä kansainvälisten järjestöjen julkaisut. Eri kansallisilla ja kansainvälisillä ohjeistuksilla ja lainsäädännöllä on myös olennainen osa tekoälyn sääntelyssä, ja siksi tutkielma tutkii myös niitä. Tutkielman johtopäätöksenä on, että vastuunalaista henkilöä koskeviin kysymyksiin ei ole vain yhtä vastausta, ja tilanteesta riippuu, kuka on vastuussa. Valmistaja on usein ankarasti vastuussa robotin aiheuttamista vahingoista. Lisäksi tuotteen omistaja voi olla mahdollista saattaa vastuuseen kuten eläimen omistaja ja tulevaisuudessa robotit voisivat saada oikeushenkilön kaltaisen henkilöllisyyden, jolloin robotti voisi olla itse vastuussa. Lainsäädäntö on kuitenkin jäljessä tekniikan kehityksestä niin kansainvälisesti kuin kansallisesti tekoälyn suhteen. Lain tulisi pysyä tekniikan kehityksen mukana, jotta vastuussa oleva henkilö voidaan löytää ja vahingonkärsijä saa korvauksensa

Towards an Architecture for Semiautonomous Robot Telecontrol Systems.

The design and development of a computational system to support robot–operator collaboration is a challenging task, not only because of the overall system complexity, but furthermore because of the involvement of different technical and scientific disciplines, namely, Software Engineering, Psychology and Artificial Intelligence, among others. In our opinion the approach generally used to face this type of project is based on system architectures inherited from the development of autonomous robots and therefore fails to incorporate explicitly the role of the operator, i.e. these architectures lack a view that help the operator to see him/herself as an integral part of the system. The goal of this paper is to provide a human-centered paradigm that makes it possible to create this kind of view of the system architecture. This architectural description includes the definition of the role of operator and autonomous behaviour of the robot, it identifies the shared knowledge, and it helps the operator to see the robot as an intentional being as himself/herself

Studies on user control in ambient intelligent systems

People have a deeply rooted need to experience control and be effective in interactions with their environments. At present times, we are surrounded by intelligent systems that take decisions and perform actions for us. This should make life easier, but there is a risk that users experience less control and reject the system. The central question in this thesis is whether we can design intelligent systems that have a degree of autonomy, while users maintain a sense of control. We try to achieve this by giving the intelligent system an 'expressive interface’: the part that provides information to the user about the internal state, intentions and actions of the system. We examine this question both in the home and the work environment.We find the notion of a ‘system personality’ useful as a guiding principle for designing interactions with intelligent systems, for domestic robots as well as in building automation. Although the desired system personality varies per application, in both domains a recognizable system personality can be designed through expressive interfaces using motion, light, sound, and social cues. The various studies show that the level of automation and the expressive interface can influence the perceived system personality, the perceived level of control, and user’s satisfaction with the system. This thesis shows the potential of the expressive interface as an instrument to help users understand what is going on inside the system and to experience control, which might be essential for the successful adoption of the intelligent systems of the future.<br/