AI Teammates: Silverbacks, Quarterbacks or Knick-Knacks? The Effect of AI Teammates on Humans’ Status Perceptions and Intention to Collaborate

Artificial Intelligence (AI) based teammates are being used by organizations to enhance working teams. Research on the impacts that such AI teammates have on their human coworkers is still developing. This study explores whether and how the formation of human-AI teams (HATs) impacts humans’ intra-group status perceptions and their intention to collaborate with a new AI teammate. We propose that AI teammates will be attributed a status based on high capability and low prosocial behavior perceptions. Further, human incumbents, who perceive their own status to be based on competence and integrity, will exhibit zero-sum beliefs that negatively influence their collaboration intention with the new AI teammate, while prosocial oriented incumbents will rather exhibit increased levels of collaboration intention with the AI teammate. Hypotheses will be tested with data gathered via a 2 by 2 between-subject experiment. We expect to enhance the understanding of human-AI collaboration and the effects of status dynamics within HATs.