Opportunities, challenges, and conspicuous absences: An integrative review of the social work literature on artificial intelligence

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Social work discourse regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in practice, research, and education has proliferated over the last 5 years, reflecting both excitement over its potential and ambivalence about its ethical challenges. However, the extent to which social work is fully engaging with the structure of AI and its enormous impacts on the environment, labour, and distribution of power remains unclear. METHODS: An integrative review of social work literature from 2020–2024 was conducted to address two research questions: 1) What is the nature of the social work discourse related to AI? 2) To what extent is the discourse addressing the structural aspects of AI? Integrative review is a methodology used to summarise empirical/theoretical/gray literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of a phenomenon and assess current themes, tensions, and gaps. FINDINGS: The literature overwhelmingly touted AI’s potential benefits for social work practice, research, and education. Discussions of ethical challenges, which often lacked depth and detail, narrowly focused on the downstream impacts of AI. The literature was almost entirely devoid of structural perspectives on AI. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that social workers tend to view AI as an area of computation rather than a vast political, financial, and social system that impacts the experiences, opportunities, and lived environments of social workers and clients. Social workers will be better positioned to use AI responsibly and influence its development if they engage with AI from a structural perspective, committed to sustainability and justice.

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