Human Centricity

Digital technologies are shaping our lives – at work and in our daily lives. While we are taking advantage of their benefits, we must not lose sight of the people. But how do we ensure that technology does not become an end in itself, but a means to truly improve our lives?

Technology with meaning

Human Centricity aims to design products, systems and services and make them usable in such a way that they focus on the needs of us as users. The goal: intuitive, effective and user-friendly solutions that make our lives easier. But it's about more than just usability – a holistic approach also takes into account emotional, social and ethical aspects.

Human-centred organisations are gaining in importance

In a technology-driven world, meaningfulness and interpersonal relationships are becoming more important again – both privately and professionally. This was also the conclusion of the study ‘HRM of the Future’ published in July 2024. The topic of ‘human-centred organisations’ is one of the top trends identified in the study.

Technology can play a crucial role here – as an enabler for a human-centred working environment: digital collaboration platforms promote flexible working from any location. AI-supported assistance systems make everyday work easier. Automation reduces repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus more on creative and value-adding activities. Such solutions are particularly effective when they not only increase efficiency, but also improve the quality of work and people's well-being.

No Industry 5.0 without a human-centred approach

Involving the economy in the design of human-centred technology is important on the road to Industry 5.0. There, the integration of the human workforce with advanced technology is the focus of attention, so that in the companies of the future, the two can work together optimally. It will no longer be a matter of automating, but of creating a cooperative environment between machines and humans. Human abilities such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking and creativity will be irreplaceable in the foreseeable future and will continue to play an essential role in the further development of industrial processes and innovations. This profound and, above all, complex paradigm shift must be shaped. Taking employees with you on this journey is considered an essential success factor.

Smart administration and cities in the service of people

But it is not only in companies, but also at the administrative level that digitalisation must be geared towards people. Finland is already showing how it's done: there, the tax authorities provide their citizens with pre-filled tax returns. At the same time, automation relieves the burden on administrative staff, who can concentrate on providing individual advice instead of performing routine tasks. This example illustrates how digital innovations can make public administration more efficient while also increasing the satisfaction of the population and employees, precisely because they are consistently aligned with the real needs of people.

Songdo shows how human centricity can have a positive impact on the everyday life of urban societies in the future. In this South Korean city, designed as a smart city, 500,000 sensors monitor traffic flows, energy consumption and air quality in real time to enable intelligent control systems. The aim is not only to create a city that conserves resources, but also one in which the urban community has to spend less time in traffic jams, breathing polluted air or walking on overcrowded streets. A people-centred approach is also evident in the design of public spaces: Songdo is deliberately pedestrian-friendly, with wide green spaces and car-free zones to make the city a more pleasant place to live. Studies show that people-centred urban concepts promote mental health and well-being by reducing stress and creating more space for social interaction.

Although Songdo achieves a high level of efficiency with its data-driven city management, some initially perceived the ubiquitous digital surveillance as an invasion of their privacy. This tension shows that, in addition to functional advantages, technology must also gain social acceptance and trust. A truly people-centred city is therefore not just technologically ‘smart’, it is ethically reflective.

Value-oriented technology development

The work of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) also addresses this issue of technology and trust. The centre is specifically involved in projects that design AI systems with people in mind – that is, that focus on the needs and rights of the individual, but can also add value for society as a whole. One example is the HumanE-AI-Net project. The associated European network, led by the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), worked from 2020 to 2024 on the scientific foundations and technological breakthroughs needed to develop human-friendly AI systems that take ethical principles into account. It brought together world-leading AI expertise with key players from related fields such as human-computer interaction (HCI), cognitive science, social science and complexity science.

People matter!

How we design new technologies today will determine the world we live in tomorrow. Human Centricity is more than just a buzzword: it describes an approach that consistently puts people at the centre and designs technologies to make all our lives better, safer and fairer. If we approach the digital transformation from a deeply human perspective, everyone can benefit.