Beyond Digital Transformation: Human Agency, Institutional Change and Accountability in the Age of AI
Published in Social Sciences, Computational Sciences, and Behavioural Sciences & Psychology
Beyond Digital Transformation: Rethinking Institutions in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is transforming not only how organizations operate, but also how social institutions function, how decisions acquire authority, and how responsibility is distributed.
Much of the contemporary debate focuses on technological capabilities, productivity gains, and the efficiency of algorithmic systems. Yet an equally important question receives less attention: what happens when technological capabilities advance faster than the institutional arrangements designed to govern them?
This question lies at the centre of my current doctoral research.
From Technological Adoption to Institutional Change
I study the transformation of social institutions under conditions of digitalization, with particular attention to education and labour.
These two domains provide an important comparative perspective. Both increasingly rely on algorithmic assessment, automated decision-making, and AI-supported processes. However, their mechanisms of recognition, status allocation, accountability, and contestation differ.
A technological system may become operational long before clear rules emerge regarding its legitimacy, the distribution of decision-making authority, or the procedures available to those affected by its outcomes.
I examine these developments through the concept of temporal institutional asymmetry: the interval between technological implementation and the establishment of corresponding institutional norms, roles, safeguards, and mechanisms of accountability.
Who Influences, Who Decides, and Who Is Responsible?
Another central dimension of my research concerns the redistribution of agency.
Digitally mediated decisions increasingly involve multiple actors: human professionals, organizations, algorithmic systems, platform operators, and regulatory authorities.
I distinguish between three institutional positions:
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The effective locus of influence: who or what materially shapes the outcome.
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The formal decision-making authority: who is institutionally recognized as making the decision.
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The locus of responsibility: who must explain, justify, or remedy its consequences.
These positions do not necessarily coincide.
Their divergence raises important questions about human oversight, institutional legitimacy, procedural fairness, and the practical accessibility of appeals.
The Human Consequences of Digital Transformation
My research also examines the organizational and psychosocial consequences of technological change.
Digital transformation can increase productivity while simultaneously redistributing workloads, intensifying monitoring, shifting responsibilities, and creating new forms of uncertainty for employees.
Efficiency gains at the organizational level do not automatically translate into improved conditions for individuals or communities.
Understanding these developments requires moving beyond purely technological performance indicators toward the analysis of institutional adaptation, human experience, and the distribution of benefits and costs.
An Interdisciplinary Research Perspective
My approach combines sociology of management, institutional analysis, organizational psychology, and insights from neurobiology.
My professional background includes more than 20 years of management experience, alongside academic research and educational programme development.
As Founder of PST Lab and Academic Director and Lecturer at the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis, I also work on the relationship between organizational processes, psychosocial risks, and human well-being in digitally mediated environments.
An Invitation to Research Dialogue
I am particularly interested in connecting with researchers working on digital society, institutional change, AI governance, algorithmic accountability, digital labour, education, human–AI interaction, and the social implications of emerging technologies.
I welcome interdisciplinary discussion and potential research collaborations that contribute to a better understanding of how institutions adapt — or fail to adapt — to technological transformation.
Elena Litash-Sorokina
Doctoral Researcher, RANEPA
Academic Director and Lecturer, Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis
Founder, PST Lab
I am a doctoral researcher at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), working at the intersection of sociology, organizational psychology, neurobiology, and digital transformation.
My research examines how artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems reshape social institutions, particularly education and labour. I focus on institutional change, the redistribution of human agency, algorithmic decision-making, temporal gaps between technological adoption and institutional adaptation, and the evolving mechanisms of accountability, legitimacy, and human oversight.
I am the Founder of PST Lab (Laboratory of Psychosocial Technologies) and serve as Academic Director and Lecturer at the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis, where I co-developed a master's programme in psychosocial risk management.
I hold three master's degrees in Management, Psychology, and Neurobiology, and have more than 20 years of professional experience in management, organizational development, and transformation. My academic work includes more than 19 scientific publications, contributions to international conferences, educational publications, and a chapter published by Springer Nature.
My current research interests include the institutional consequences of AI adoption, human–AI interaction, psychosocial risks in digitally mediated work, emerging neurotechnologies, and the relationship between technological progress, organizational efficiency, and human well-being.
I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary research collaborations that connect theoretical developments with empirical evidence and practical implications for organizations, policymakers, and society.
