ethical AI

Data Quality and Domain Expertise for Resilient AI Deployment

Data Quality and Domain Expertise for Resilient AI Deployment

Integrating anomaly and label error detection in industry
Pavlos Rath-Manakidis, Henry Huick, Erdi Ünal, Björn Krämer ORCID Icon, Laurenz Wiskott ORCID Icon
AI implementation transforms work and worker-technology relationships in industrial quality control. This paper explores how approaches to data quality and model transparency support ethical AI deployment, fostering worker agency, trust, and sustainable work design in automatic surface inspection systems (ASIS). Recurring problems like data inefficiency, variable model confidence, and limited AI expertise point to key challenges of human-centered AI: user trust, agency and responsible data management. A solution co-developed with an ASIS supplier demonstrates that the challenges extend beyond the purely technical, underscoring the value of AI design that augments human capabilities. Technical solutions such as anomaly, label error, and domain drift detection are proposed to enhance data quality and model reliability. The insights emphasize the following generalizable strategies for resilient AI integration: understanding user-reported problems through a human-AI interaction lens, ...
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | Edition 1 | Pages 128-135 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.1.120
Operationalizing Ethical AI with tachAId

Operationalizing Ethical AI with tachAId

Validating an interactive advisory tool in two manufacturing use cases
Pavlos Rath-Manakidis, Henry Huick, Björn Krämer ORCID Icon, Laurenz Wiskott ORCID Icon
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into workplace processes promises significant efficiency gains, yet organizations face numerous ethical challenges that stakeholders are often initially unaware of—from opacity in decision-making to algorithmic bias and premature automation risks. This paper presents the design and validation of tachAId, an interactive advisory tool aimed at embedding human-centered ethical considerations into the development of AI solutions. It reports on a validation study conducted across two distinct industrial AI applications with varying AI maturity. tachAId successfully directs attention to critical ethical considerations across the AI solution lifecycle that might be overlooked in technically-focused development. However, the findings also reveal a central tension: while effective in raising awareness, the tool’s non-linear design creates significant usability challenges, indicating a user preference for more structured, linear guidance, especially ...
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 1 | Pages 50-59 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.1.48
AI Implementation in Industrial Quality Control

AI Implementation in Industrial Quality Control

A design science approach bridging technical and human factors
Erdi Ünal ORCID Icon, Kathrin Nauth ORCID Icon, Pavlos Rath-Manakidis, Jens Pöppelbuß ORCID Icon, Felix Hoenig, Christian Meske ORCID Icon
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to enhance industrial quality control, yet successful implementation requires careful consideration of ethical and human factors. This article examines how automated surface inspection systems can be deployed to augment human capabilities while ensuring ethical integration into workflows. Through design science research, twelve stakeholders from six organizations across three continents are interviewed and twelve sociotechnical design requirements are derived. These are organized into pre-implementation and implementation/operation phases, addressing human agency, employee participation, and responsible knowledge management. Key findings include the critical importance of meaningful employee participation during pre-implementation, and maintaining human agency through experiential learning, building on existing expertise. This research contributes to ethical AI workplace implementation by providing guidelines that preserve human ...
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | 2026 | Edition 1 | Pages 120-127 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.1.112
Ethical AI in the Workplace Through Value-Based Labels?

Ethical AI in the Workplace Through Value-Based Labels?

Lessons learned from applying the VCIO framework to an AI-based assistant
Natalie Martin ORCID Icon, Tobias Kopp ORCID Icon, Natalie Beyer, Jochen Wendel ORCID Icon, Steffen Kinkel ORCID Icon
The AI Ethics Label represents a promising approach to promoting ethical AI and appropriate trust in AI systems. However, its practical application reveals some challenges due to its conservative assessment approach, limited context sensitivity, lack of benchmarks, and interpretation aids. Improvements are needed to unlock its full potential.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | Edition 1 | Pages 30-38 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.1.30
Ideating Ethical AI Business Models

Ideating Ethical AI Business Models

A dual card approach for the ethical development of AI business models
Marie-Christin Barton ORCID Icon, Lisa Skrzyppek, Kathrin Nauth ORCID Icon, Jens Pöppelbuß ORCID Icon, Jürgen Mazarov
AI opens up entirely new forms of value creation, but most business model tools have not kept pace. They overlook both the strategic potential that AI holds and the ethical challenges that it introduces. This study introduces a dual-card toolkit that helps interdisciplinary teams design AI-enabled business models with built-in ethical reflection. The key insight: to harness AI responsibly, we must rethink how we innovate, starting from the business model itself.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 42 | Edition 1 | Pages 40-49 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.26.1.38
I4S 6/2024: Machine Learning

I4S 6/2024: Machine Learning

A technology with optimization potential in terms of efficiency, transparency and sustainability
Machine learning takes automation to a new level. But what does this imply for the role of humans, who seem to remain essential for the effective control of AI systems. The development of energy-efficient and fair algorithms and the optimization of data quality are crucial for the future viability of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The articles in this issue examine the technology's key potential and areas of application.