“There is No ‘AI’ in ‘TEAM’! Or is there?” – Towards meaningful human-AI collaboration

Authors

  • Alexander Richter
  • Gerhard Schwabe

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v29.5753

Keywords:

Human-AI collaboration, Human-AI teams, Adaptive practices

Abstract

AI is increasingly embedded in collaborative processes, challenging traditional notions of teamwork. While AI lacks consciousness and human-like intentionality, its ability to shape decision-making, structure interactions, and contribute to shared outcomes necessitates a reassessment of what it means to be a team member. This paper critically examines AI’s role in human-AI collaboration, arguing that effective teamwork is not solely defined by mutual understanding but by the complementary contributions of human and AI actors. We highlight the importance of context in shaping collaboration and propose a research agenda structured around five key aspects: (1) rethinking team membership, (2) evolving team roles, (3) the influence of contextual factors, (4) adaptive collaboration practices, and (5) ethical considerations. We call on scholars and practitioners to explore these dimensions to ensure that human-AI teams align with organizational goals and societal values

References

Asatiani, A., Malo, P., Rådberg, N. P., Penttinen, E., Rinta-Kahila, T., & Salovaara, A. (2021). Sociotechnical envelopment of artificial intelligence: An approach to organizational deployment of inscrutable AI systems. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 22(2), 325–352. doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00664

Chowdhury, S., Budhwar, P., Dey, P. K., Joel-Edgar, S., & Abadie, A. (2022). AI-employee collaboration and business performance: Integrating knowledge-based view, socio-technical systems and organisational socialisation framework. Journal of Business Research, 144, 31–49. doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.069

Cranefield, S., Winikoff, M., Dignum, V., & Dignum, F. (2017). No pizza for you: Value-based plan selection in BDI agents. Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2017/26

Dafoe, A., Bachrach, Y., Hadfield, G., Horvitz, E., Larson, K., & Graepel, T. (2021). Cooperative AI: Machines must learn to find common ground. Nature, 593, 33--36. doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01170-0

Dennett, D. C. (1971). Intentional systems. The Journal of Philosophy, 68(4), 87--106. doi.org/10.2307/2025382

Dolata, M., Katsiuba, D., Wellnhammer, N., & Schwabe, G. (2023). Learning with digital agents: An analysis based on the activity theory. Journal of Management Information Systems, 40(1), 56–95. doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2023.2172775

Floridi, L., & Sanders, J. W. (2004). On the morality of artificial agents. Minds and Machines, 14, 349–379. doi.org/10.1023/B:MIND.0000035461.63578.9d

Friedman, B., Kahn, P. H., Borning, A., & Huldtgren, A. (2013). Value sensitive design and information systems. In J. van den Hoven, P. E. Vermaas, & I. van de Poel (Eds.), Early engagement and new technologies: Opening up the laboratory (pp. 55–95). Springer.

Hacker, J., Trier, M., & Richter, A. (2024). Unfolding the contextual nature of enterprise social media use: A morphogenetic approach. European Journal of Information Systems. doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2024.2339217

Huxham, C., & Vangen, S. (2013). Managing to collaborate: The theory and practice of collaborative advantage. Routledge.

Jarrahi, M. H., Lutz, C., Boyd, K., Oesterlund, C., & Willis, M. (2023). Artificial intelligence in the work context. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. doi.org/10.1002/asi.24730

Klein, S., & Watson-Manheim, M. B. (2021). The (re-)configuration of digital work in the wake of profound technological innovation: Constellations and hidden work. Information & Organization, 31(4), 100377. doi.org/10.1016/j.infoandorg.2021.100377

Mathieu, J. E., Heffner, T. S., Goodwin, G. F., Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2000). The influence of shared mental models on team process and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 273–283. doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.2.273

Memmert, L., & Tavanapour, N. (2023). Towards human-AI collaboration in brainstorming: Empirical insights into the perception of working with a generative AI. ECIS 2023.

Nass, C., & Moon, Y. (2000). Machines and mindlessness: Social responses to computers. Journal of Social Issues, 56(1), 81–103. doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00153

Rao, A. S., & Georgeff, M. P. (1995). BDI agents: from theory to practice. In Icmas (Vol. 95, pp. 312–319).

Richter, S., & Richter, A. (2024). Human-AI collaboration in the metaverse: How to research the future of work? In Proceedings of the Thirty-Second European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2024), Paphos.

Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a “big five” in teamwork? Small Group Research, 36(5), 555–599. doi.org/10.1177/1046496405277134

Schwabe, G., Sprecher, R., Katsiuba, D., & Dolata, M. (2025). AI-ThinkLets for brainstorming. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences - HICSS 2025.

Seeber, I., Bittner, E., Briggs, R. O., De Vreede, T., De Vreede, G. J., Elkins, A., & Söllner, M. (2020). Machines as teammates: A research agenda on AI in team collaboration. Information & Management, 57(2). doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2019.103174

Sudeeptha, I., Mueller, W., Leyer, M., Richter, A., & Nolte, F. (2025). Use cases for prospective sensemaking of human-AI collaboration. In HICSS 2025. https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.10812v1

Van Riemsdijk, M. B., Jonker, C. M., & Lesser, V. (2015). Creating socially adaptive electronic partners: Interaction, reasoning and ethical challenges. In Proceedings of the 2015 international conference on autonomous agents and multiagent systems (pp. 1201–1206).

Van Wynsberghe, A. (2013). Designing Robots for Care: Care Centered Value-Sensitive Design. Science and Engineering Ethics, 19(2), 407–433. doi.org/10.1007/s11948-011-9343-6

Willems, T., & Hafermalz, E. (2021). Distributed seeing: Algorithms and the reconfiguration of the workplace, a case of 'automated' trading. Information & Organization, 31(4), 100376. doi.org/10.1016/j.infoandorg.2021.100376

Downloads

Published

2025-02-26

How to Cite

Richter, A. ., & Schwabe, G. . (2025). “There is No ‘AI’ in ‘TEAM’! Or is there?” – Towards meaningful human-AI collaboration. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 29. https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v29.5753

Issue

Section

Provocation