Frictions in Automating Routine Data Work

A Human-Assisted Robot in Datafied Healthcare in Finland

Abstract

This article explores the implementation of an Robotic Process Automation (RPA) -based robot designed to automate one small phase of data validation in primary healthcare. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a Finnish wellbeing services county, we investigate the complexities  involved in the implementation and use of RPA technology. Theoretically, the article uses and develops the concepts of breakdown and friction to examine how the robot performs its mundane data tasks. In this case, technical breakdowns and repair work were relatively minor compared to persistent frictions and the ongoing need for human assistance. We identified four sources of friction that hindered the robot’s ability to complete the assigned task:  technical failures, legislation and national guidelines, austerity and cost savings, and organisational complexity and hierarchies. The robot is described as a human-assisted technology to highlight the support it required to function. The findings suggest that alongside breakdowns, frictions deserve attention when examining digital technologies and their everyday use.