Editorial: Socio-technical ecologies: Design for human-machine systems Botev et al. 10.3389/frobt.2022.1037454

Abstract

'Francisco J. Rodríguez Lera'] Computer system design has been driven predominantly by technical aspects and considerations. However, as computing systems are increasingly embedded and integrated into the world, they have an extended impact on individuals and societies. In this context, social and behavioral dynamics become equally essential components of computing systems research, notably including robotics and artificial intelligence. The increasing shift towards socio-technical systems and the integration of collaborative and cooperative aspects require new multidisciplinary efforts and a focus on the larger system context and evolution. In hybrid systems, i.e., artificial agents, robots, and humans interacting with each other, explicitly considering the underlying social relations and dynamics is integral to the ability to design robust, adaptive, purpose- and useful systems. Recent advances in machine learning and other computational techniques allow for the effective real-time analysis of complex interaction behavior. This holds both for the individual constituents as well as for the integration of subsystems. This highly multidisciplinary Research Topic, therefore, spans various journals including Frontiers in Psychology and Frontiers in Computer Science with their Human-Media Interaction sections, Frontiers in Robotics and AI with its Human-Robot Interaction and Multi-Robot Systems sections, and Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence with its AI for Human Learning and Behavior Change section. Taking a systemic, cross-disciplinary perspective on human-AI and human-robot interaction, as well as their effects on the larger system context, we encouraged submissions that integrate dedicated findings on socio-technical settings from, e.g., neuroscience, psychology, sociology, economics, and other relevant disciplines, into novel interaction and system design approaches. Original research, reviews, tools, databases, benchmarks, and evaluation methods relative to the following topics were welcome.