Thesis Work for Human-centered AI for Industrial Maintenance with Ethical Considerations

Placering
Västerås

Thesis Work for Human-centered AI for Industrial Maintenance with Ethical Considerations
At ABB, we are dedicated to addressing global challenges. Our core values: care, courage, curiosity, and collaboration - combined with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities - are key drivers in our aim to empower everyone to create sustainable solutions. That's our story. Make it your story.
This position reports to
R&D Team Lead

Your role and responsibilities
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into industrial settings is advancing rapidly, and one such recent implementation is in AI enabled maintenance procedure planning. AI systems can now analyze complex datasets such as maintenance and production data, error codes and installation manuals to generate detailed step-by-step procedures for workers. While AI technologies offer significant benefits in improving efficiency, there are concerns about how these systems fit within ethical frameworks. Existing ethical principles for AI emphasize attributes such as transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy, and security, yet their application in highly specialized areas within industry largely remains unexplored. This thesis aims to explore the concept of applied AI ethics within AI-generated maintenance procedures, with a focus on user experience and human-centered design. What does applied ethics mean in the context of AI-generated maintenance procedures, and how do existing ethical principles relate to the generation, planning, and execution of these tasks? Details: • Spring 2025, commonly between Jan-June • 30 ECTS/högskolepoäng(hp) • 1-2 students • In Västerås, Sweden. Possibility for hybrid work Your responsibilities: • Review and examine the existing literature around ethical guidelines for AI, with a particular focus on principles relevant to maintenance in industry, and human centered design. • Follow human-centered design principles, conduct user research and extract user requirements and insights. • Concretize the findings into a conceptual design and iteratively refine it. Use the interactive prototype to illustrate how you have applied the Ethical AI principles. • Reflect on the further development of AI within industry and identify what ethical principles are relevant to keep a human-centered focus. Deliverables • Ethical AI Principles for Maintenance Procedures: A detailed analysis and description of relevant ethical guidelines within the context of AI-generated maintenance procedures. • Prototype Implementation: A concrete prototype that illustrates how applied ethics can be integrated into AI systems with a focus on the user experience, safety, and human oversight. • Applied Ethical AI Design Recommendations: Create recommendations for designing applied ethical AI systems within industry that prioritize the relevant ethical principles.

Qualifications for the role

• Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Cognitive Science, Interaction Design, User Experience (UX), or a related field.
• Ability to conduct user research and translate insights into design
• Familiarity with UX/UI design principles
• Problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to think holistically about both human and technical aspects of ethical considerations with large language models
• Able to approach challenges creatively, integrating user-centered approaches with technological advancements

More about us
Bring your very own sense of pride and purpose as you help us drive forward the Fourth Industrial Revolution – creating a sustainable future for our planet, and your career. Join ABB and harness the power of our diverse global network, as you collaborate with and learn from our world-class teams. Above all, challenge yourself every day. Let’s write the future, together. More information: Recruiting Manager Dawid Ziobro, [email protected], will answer your questions. Please note that we can only accept applications submitted through our online career portal. Applications via e-mail will have to be deleted and not processed due to data privacy requirements. Positions are filled continuously. Apply with your CV, academic transcripts and a cover letter in English. Welcome to apply! We value people from different backgrounds. Could this be your story? Apply today or visit www.abb.com to read more about us and learn about the impact of our solutions across the globe. #MyABBStory

Locations
Västerås, Sweden