REFRAMING GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THROUGH THE HUMAN-CENTRIC IMPERATIVE: A DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has transformed how organizations, researchers, and societies create knowledge, make decisions, and deliver value. While existing studies largely emphasize the technical efficiency, productivity gains, and automation potential of GenAI, comparatively less attention has been given to the human-centric imperative—the need to design, deploy, and govern GenAI systems in ways that prioritize human values, agency, dignity, and societal well-being. Addressing this imbalance, the present study conducts a descriptive literature review to synthesize and critically analyze prior research on the intersection of the human-centric imperative and Generative AI. Drawing on peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and policy reports published between 2015 and 2024, the review systematically examines how human-centered principles are conceptualized, operationalized, and discussed in the GenAI literature. Using a narrative synthesis approach, the study identifies key thematic domains, including human agency and autonomy, ethical accountability, fairness and bias mitigation, transparency and explainability, trust, and human–AI collaboration. The findings reveal that although human-centric values are increasingly acknowledged in conceptual and policy-oriented discussions, their empirical integration into GenAI research and organizational practices remains fragmented and underdeveloped. Moreover, most existing studies adopt a technology-centric perspective, with limited contextualization in emerging economies and organizational settings. By consolidating dispersed insights, this review highlights critical gaps and proposes directions for future research that embed human-centric principles more deeply into GenAI design and governance. Overall, the study contributes to the responsible AI discourse by offering a structured understanding of how the human-centric imperative can guide more sustainable, ethical, and socially aligned Generative AI development.