Using Actor-Network Theory to Understand Intelligent Systems: the Case of Intelligent IS for Logistics

This paper introduces the application of some principles of the actor-network theory (ANT) to understand the sociotechnical effects of the implementation of intelligent information systems in logistics, i.e. the effects on the organizational structure, business processes and decision-making policies. It is shown how intelligent agents (IA) playing a core innovative role in modelling an integrated information system for logistics participate in the processes of formation and stabilization of alliances with human actors (developers, users), the material infrastructure of a logistics system and information/knowledge resulting in a new quality of design of control systems for logistics, standardization of protocols and invariance of server-client relations in the space of networks supporting stability of the information infrastructure of a geographically distributed organization. The paper aims at bringing the attention of the AI researchers, MAS theorists, human-machine systems engineers, ergonomists, knowledge engineers, logistics specialists and broader research community to the actor-network paradigm and its applied potential in sociotechnical systems research.