Labor, Capital, and Machine: Toward a Labor Process Theory for HCI

2026-02-11

AI Summary

This study addresses the limited engagement of human-computer interaction (HCI) research with labor theory, which hinders a deeper understanding of the structural contradictions and worker experiences shaped by technological mediation. It systematically introduces Labor Process Theory (LPT) into HCI for the first time, tracing its theoretical lineage from Marx to Burawoy, and proposes seven key research directions—such as distinguishing “labor” from “work,” linking practice to value production, and adopting an upward-looking focus on managerial practices. Through theoretical synthesis, conceptual analysis, and interdisciplinary critique, the paper integrates political economy with HCI’s design and empirical paradigms, constructing a novel theoretical framework that bridges political-economic critique and system design, thereby offering a fresh pathway for critical and normative HCI scholarship.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Understanding People, Theories, Concepts and Methods
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: AI & Jobs/Labor
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science

Application Category

• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Research challenges in human and human-AI computation
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Semantics and Knowledge: Data modeling to support human-machine intelligence, including LLMs agents, intelligent system behavior, explanations, and user-friendly interactions

Abstract

The HCI community has called for renewed attention to labor issues and the political economy of computing. Yet much work remains in engaging with labor theory to better understand modern work and workers. This article traces the development of Labor Process Theory (LPT) -- from Karl Marx and Harry Braverman to Michael Burawoy and beyond -- and introduces it as an essential yet underutilized resource for structural analysis of work under capitalism and the design of computing systems. We examine HCI literature on labor, investigating focal themes and conceptual, empirical, and design approaches. Drawing from LPT, we offer directions for HCI research and practice: distinguish labor from work, link work practice to value production, study up the management, analyze consent and legitimacy, move beyond the point of production, design alternative institutions, and unnaturalize bourgeois designs. These directions can deepen analyses of tech-mediated workplace regimes, inform critical and normative designs, and strengthen the field's connection to broader political economic critique.

Problem

• Labor Process Theory
• Human-Computer Interaction
• political economy
• workplace regimes
• value production

Innovation

• Labor Process Theory
• Political Economy of Computing
• Critical HCI
• Value Production
• Alternative Institution Design