Collaborating with technology-based autonomous agents

Abstract

PurposeThis article reports the results from a panel discussion held at the 2019 European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) on the use of technology-based autonomous agents in collaborative work.Design/methodology/approachThe panelists (Drs Izak Benbasat, Paul Benjamin Lowry, Stefan Morana, and Stefan Seidel) presented ideas related to affective and cognitive implications of using autonomous technology-based agents in terms of (1) emotional connection with these agents, (2) decision-making, and (3) knowledge and learning in settings with autonomous agents. These ideas provided the basis for a moderated panel discussion (the moderators were Drs Isabella Seeber and Lena Waizenegger), during which the initial position statements were elaborated on and additional issues were raised.FindingsThrough the discussion, a set of additional issues were identified. These issues related to (1) the design of autonomous technology-based agents in terms of human–machine workplace configurations, as well as transparency and explainability, and (2) the unintended consequences of using autonomous technology-based agents in terms of de-evolution of social interaction, prioritization of machine teammates, psychological health, and biased algorithms.Originality/valueKey issues related to the affective and cognitive implications of using autonomous technology-based agents, design issues, and unintended consequences highlight key contemporary research challenges that allow researchers in this area to leverage compelling questions that can guide further research in this field.

An intertwined perspective on technology and digitised individuals: Linkages, needs and outcomes

“…This layer encapsulates the domains through which the technology is integrated into users' lives. These include: (1) the functional affordances domain that captures the things the technology affords users to do [e.g., social media affords connecting with friends (Karahanna, Xu, Xu, & Zhang, 2018), and a fitness tracker that affords collecting health information (Henriksen et al, 2018)]; (2) the life domains' links that capture the areas of life that are affected by digitisation [eg, social media may affect the social, work and family domains (Tarafdar, Gupta, & Turel, 2015), and fitness trackers that may collect data on and influence the health domain but that can also be a means to interact with others (Best, Manktelow, & Taylor, 2014)] and (3) the physical links, which capture the extent to which the technology is physically integrated into individuals, ranging on a continuum from being physically distant from the user (e.g., sensors, remotely parked autonomous vehicle) to being physically embedded into the user and always moving with the user (e.g.,digital implants) (Akturk & Brackett, 2020; Seeber et al, 2020). This layer is external because the functional, life domain and physical links afforded by various technologies serve as a basis for defining the extent to which technology used by digitised individuals caters to their needs, as dictated by SDT.…”

Artificial Intelligence and Video Game Creation: A Framework for the New Logic of Autonomous Design

“…For instance, these tools deeply penetrate into the types of work that have traditionally be seen to be reserved for humans-work that is related to creativity and design. We can thus expect that these tools will challenge established role identities of designers and related professions and that may even lead to situations where designers feel threatened by that technology (Seeber et al, 2020). Following from this observation, it is crucial to explore the pertinent regulatory issues related to recording and justifying design decisions and outcomes carried out by autonomous tools.…”

Hybrid Service Recovery: Design for Seamless Inquiry Handovers between Conversational Agents and Human Service Agents

“…To prevent customer frustration and support HSAs, relevant information of the CA-customer-interaction should be provided for the handover so that service process steps and questions do not have to be repeated [13,17]. Therefore, connected processes are required to promote seamless handovers from CAs to HSAs [24,25]. Moreover, CAs have to be configured to systematically collect information to present interim results to HSAs in a comprehensible format [25].…”

“…Therefore, connected processes are required to promote seamless handovers from CAs to HSAs [24,25]. Moreover, CAs have to be configured to systematically collect information to present interim results to HSAs in a comprehensible format [25]. Hence, the goal of designing real-time inquiry handover as a CA service recovery strategy is addressed with the following research question: How to design the point of customer inquiry handover between CAs and HSAs?…”