Human-Centric Enterprise AI with Helsinki-based Dr. Anna Lahtinen

Human-Centric Enterprise AI with Helsinki-based Dr. Anna Lahtinen

Author: Caitlin Begg February 28, 2024 Duration: 51:41

In this episode, I discuss practical sociotechnical approaches to enterprise artificial intelligence adoption (especially for small and medium sized businesses) with Helsinki-based Dr. Anna Lahtinen.

Curiously, artificial intelligence could lead us toward a more human everyday—Anna outlines how we may approach this.

We also discuss:

  • Empowering SMEs with Artificial Intelligence - 173 page free guide written by Anna and her colleague Iris Humala
  • aistories.fi - AI stories of companies
  • AI in business free course from Anna and her team at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences; target group is management and representatives of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) who are interested in developing business with the help of artificial intelligence

Dr. Anna Lahtinen, DBA is a Senior Researcher at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. Anna specializes in the transformation of work life from the perspectives of the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), evolution of psychological contract, gender roles and women careers. 

Anna has over 20 years of industry, entrepreneurial, startup and academic experience in Finland, across Europe and globally. Anna is an internationally published scholar and a Recipient of “Academic Paper Most Relevant to Entrepreneurs Award” presented by United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 

In the research and development projects led by Anna, over 150 companies and organizations have been supported in the past three years to explore AI opportunities and develop AI solutions tailored to their business needs.

Anna and I first met at WORK2023, a future of work conference in Turku, Finland this summer. At the conference, Anna presented alongside Martti Asikainen and Eija Kärnä in the digitalisiation and robotics in working life track, "AI and Robotics in Knowledge Work: Towards Sustainable Value Co-Creation".

My presentations at WORK2023: "Everyday Conversation: The Effect of Asynchronous Communication and Hypercommunication on Daily Interaction and Sociotechnical Systems"; "Joint Optimization of Social and Technical Systems to Effect Organizational Change"; "A Sociotechnical Approach to Digital Communication Dysfunction Avoidance in Remote and Hybrid Work Settings".





There's a quiet but persistent feeling that something essential is getting lost in our digital shuffle. Progression to Analog is a space to examine that feeling, hosted by sociologist and Authentic Social founder Caitlin Begg. This isn't a nostalgic retreat, but a thoughtful exploration of how reintroducing analog elements-whether in communication, work, or leisure-can reshape our daily experience toward something more intentional and, ultimately, more human. Each conversation in this podcast moves beyond simple tool-swapping to ask deeper questions about presence, connection, and the architecture of our attention. You'll hear discussions that weave sociological insight with practical reflection, considering how the textures of a less-mediated life can influence our relationships, creativity, and sense of self. New episodes arrive every Monday, offering a regular pause to consider the pace and quality of the everyday. Tune in for a series that treats the analog not as an antiquated concept, but as a meaningful progression.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 39

Progression to Analog
Podcast Episodes
Season Two: Winter 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:55
In this season two trailer, I share milestones and insights from season one including: ​Several keynotes, seminars, and talks across the U.S. and Europe, centered around Progression to Analog and related ideas ​Upcoming…
Reflecting on Our Relationship with Tech [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:33
Book recommendations; out-of-print technology magazines across nine decades; the spectacular and the everyday; what's next? (in terms of our relationship with tech); general reflections after getting home from doing one…
Anemoia: Nostalgia For A Time You've Never Known [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:41
I felt an inexplicable feeling a few weeks ago, and turned to GPT-4 to help explain it. I was feeling nostalgia for a time I've never known, a longing for an unexperienced past. GPT identified this as "anemoia". In this…
A People's History of Tech with New York-based Sara M. Watson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:45
Radical futurist, tech critic, independent industry analyst, and interdisciplinary researcher Sara M. Watson and I discuss "A People's History of Technology" in this episode, which she co-founded and curates (with Emily…
A Sociotechnical Approach to AI, Sales, and Communication [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:32
One issue organizations are dealing with right now: how do we move AI from a buzzword to something that actually impacts our organization? Along these lines, in this episode I discuss the importance of a sociotechnical (…