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“Human-AI interaction: How hotel customers are disciplined by a facial recognition kiosk”

Prof. Dr. Christian Greiffenhagen (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China)

• Date: 25. June 2024
• Time: 18:30
• Address: Schnoor 27
• Building: Bremer Presse-Club
• Room: Club 27

Abstract

This paper studies customers entering automated self-service hotels in China and using a facial recognition kiosk for registration. Based on video-recordings of 674 cases of customers checking in, we show that, as is common in self-service, customers need to do work that was previously done by hotel staff: they are working customers. We then argue that, when interacting with the facial recognition kiosk, customers are also doing something more: first, they present themselves to the machine by, for example, adjusting their standing position or appearance; second, they perform for the machine by following its instructions, closing their eyes or opening their mouths; finally, they express various emotions towards the machine, such as anger or embarrassment. In sum, we show that customers are working not just with their bodies, but also on their bodies, which are being disciplined by the machine. They become ‘disciplined customers’.

Bio

Dr. Greiffenhagen is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Applied Social Sciences. Before joining PolyU, Dr. Greiffenhagen was Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Social Sciences at Loughborough University, and a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Sociology at The University of Manchester.

As a sociologist with a background in computer science, Dr. Greiffenhagen uses innovative methods (in particular video-based ethnography) to understand how new scientific developments and digital technologies are transforming our work, learning, and everyday practices. His primary research areas are in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

Recent publications include “The visibility of digital money: A video study of mobile payments using WeChat pay” (Sociology), “Back to the control room: Managing artistic work” (Journal of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work), “Configuring prospective sensations: Experimenters preparing participants for what they will feel” (Symbolic Interaction), and “Orchestrated openings in video calls: Getting young left-behind children to greet their migrant parents” (Journal of Pragmatics).

Dr. Greiffenhagen is a Visiting Associate Professor at Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Télécom ParisTech.