The Illusion of Autonomy: Ghost Work in Care Systems and Designing Visibility

Abstract

This thesis examines the hidden human labor that underpins systems widely described as autonomous through the concept of ghost work: labor embedded within technological systems yet obscured to sustain the appearance of automation. Focusing on the domain of care work, it investigates how automation reshapes labor in a field that is essential but resistant to full automation. Drawing on theories of care and qualitative interviews with healthcare and technical professionals, the thesis shows that automation does not eliminate labor but reorganizes it into less visible, distributed forms. In care settings, tasks that resist formalization—particularly relational and affective labor—are displaced and produce forms of ghost work that sustain both system functionality and the illusion of autonomy. Building on these findings, the thesis proposes four design interventions that explore how ghost work might be made more visible and accountable within technological systems.