Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate

Communications of the Association for Information Systems Volume 56 Paper in press 2025 Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate Tina B. Jensen Copenhagen Business School Olgerta Tona University of Gothenburg Kai R. Larsen Leeds School of Business Dorothy E. Leidner McIntire School of Commerce Mari-Klara Stein TalTech, Estonia See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais Recommended Citation Jensen, T. B., Tona, O., Larsen, K. R., Leidner, D. E., Stein, M., & Whitley, E. A. (In press). Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 56, pp-pp. Retrieved from https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol56/iss1/37 This material is brought to you by the AIS Journals at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). It has been accepted for inclusion in Communications of the Association for Information Systems by an authorized administrator of AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). For more information, please contact . Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate Authors Tina B. Jensen, Olgerta Tona, Kai R. Larsen, Dorothy E. Leidner, Mari-Klara Stein, and Edgar A. Whitley This article is available in Communications of the Association for Information Systems: https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/ vol56/iss1/37 C ommunications of the A ssociation for I nformation S ystems Accepted Manuscript Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate Tina Blegind Jensen Olgerta Tona Copenhagen Business School 0000-0002-7063-2674 University of Gothenburg Kai R. Larsen Dorothy E. Leidner Leeds School of Business McIntire School of Commerce 0000-0002-7159-6273 Mari-Klara Stein Edgar A. Whitley TalTech, Estonia 0000-0002-8916-2158 London School of Economics and Political Science 0000-0003-1779-0814 Please cite this article as: Jensen, T. B., Tona, O., Larsen, K. R., Leidner, D. E., Stein, M-K., & Whitley, E. A. (in press). Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate. Communications of the Association for Information Systems. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication in the Communications of the Association for Information Systems. We are providing this early version of the manuscript to allow for expedited dissemination to interested readers. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered, which could affect the content. All legal disclaimers that apply to the Communications of the Association for Information Systems pertain. For a definitive version of this work, please check for its appearance online at http://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/. Accepted Manuscript C ommunications of the A ssociation for I nformation S ystems Panel Report ISSN: 1529-3181 Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate Tina Blegind Jensen Olgerta Tona Copenhagen Business School 0000-0002-7063-2674 University of Gothenburg Kai R. Larsen Dorothy E. Leidner Leeds School of Business McIntire School of Commerce 0000-0002-7159-6273 Mari-Klara Stein Edgar A. Whitley TalTech, Estonia 0000-0002-8916-2158 London School of Economics and Political Science 0000-0003-1779-0814 Abstract: This paper reports on a panel debate at the 32nd European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) held in Paphos in Cyprus in 2024. As reflected in the conference theme: “People First: Constructing Digital Futures Together”, the debate centered on how to integrate human dignity as a guiding principle for research, education, and community practices in the Information Systems (IS) field. In particular, the panelists discussed the complex interplay between technological advances and human dignity manifested across various contexts from the urgency for IS scholars to investigate the often-unintended consequences of digital technology to the impact of algorithms in digital learning environments for students and the maintenance of respectful digital spaces for IS scholars. With a recognition of everyone’s inherent worth and contribution to society – the core of human dignity – this panel report is both timely and important for scholars in the IS field in their pursuit of constructing digital futures that put people first. Keywords: Human Dignity, Digital Technology, Digital Futures, Flourishing, Information Systems. [Department statements, if appropriate, will be added by the editors. Teaching cases and panel reports will have a statement, which is also added by the editors.] [Note: this page has no footnotes.] This manuscript underwent [editorial/peer] review. It was received xx/xx/20xx and was with the authors for XX months for XX revisions. [firstname lastname] served as Associate Editor.] or The Associate Editor chose to remain anonymous.] Accepted Manuscript Human Dignity in Digital Futures: Takeaways from a Panel Debate 1 Introduction The rapid advancements in digital technology raise significant concerns for human dignity (Leidner and Tona, 2021). We understand human dignity as the recognition of the inherent worth of all human beings (CBHD 2006). This notion highlights the importance of providing the means and resources for individuals to lead a life of virtue, recognizing individual contributions to society, and treating all individuals equally, respecting their autonomy and freedom (Leidner and Tona, 2021). In IS research, there is an increasing interest in exploring how emerging technologies impact human dignity (for special issues, see for example, Aanestad et al., 2021; Recker et al., 2023), and also a need for our community to address issues like wellbeing, diversity, equity, and inclusion (e.g., Chau et al., 2021; Marabelli et al., 2023; Windeler et al., 2020; Wright et al., 2023). We, as IS scholars, have a distinct opportunity to address the complex interplay between technological advances and human dignity across various contexts. This includes, for instance, conducting research on the unintended consequences of extensive employee data use on dignity in the digital workplace, or the impact of algorithms on marginalized groups during hiring practices or credit scoring. From a community standpoint, this includes establishing and maintaining digital spaces for safe and respectful interactions among IS scholars, be they journal management systems or social media, to ensure that every scholar feels acknowledged, valued, and heard. Additionally, we should consider the implications of the shift towards digital learning environments on the inclusivity, engagement, and wellbeing of students. Capitalizing on the 32nd ECIS conference theme: “People First: Constructing Digital Futures Together”, we organized a panel to discuss how human dignity is and should be woven into our roles as researchers, (...truncated)