Dark Side of Digitalization: Who to Blame? Users or Providers?

Abstract

AI-enabled digital technology appears to be transgressing the ontological boundaries associated with technology as known to humanity over the history of its existence. Today’s digital technology is active and autonomous; it interacts with humans and other AI-enabled technology and achieves its objectives mostly independent of human intervention. It shapes human experience and is shaped by it. Hence, we need to revisit our assumptions about AI-enabled technologies and reconsider individual and organizational roles and responsibilities toward such technologies. This theoretical paper questions the well-established logic that is used to protect technology makers against the users’ misuse of their technology and offers possible solutions within the context of digital social networking and media platforms.