Artificial Intelligence, Rising Global Division, and Co-Bot Trolls: Group Researchers – We Got Some Work to Do!

In my mid-career reflection, I want to highlight three research areas that require urgent attention. I themed these research opportunities as the ‘good’ (i.e., new AI methods changing how we can study groups), the ‘bad’ (the rise of hate, global division, and conflict), and the ‘ugly-ficial’ (working with vs against artificial agents). Looking into the next decade, my hope is that the ‘multi-disciplinary’ family that contributes to Small Group Research will work together to resolve some of our society’s most urgent problems.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Small Group Research
Published
2026-03-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/10464964261430681
Primary Topic
Conflict Management and Negotiation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Artificial Intelligence, Rising Global Division, and Co-Bot Trolls: Group Researchers – We Got Some Work to Do!

Florian E. Klonek
Small Group Research
Conflict Management and Negotiation
article

Artificial Intelligence, Rising Global Division, and Co-Bot Trolls: Group Researchers – We Got Some Work to Do!

Florian E. Klonek
article en

Abstract

In my mid-career reflection, I want to highlight three research areas that require urgent attention. I themed these research opportunities as the ‘good’ (i.e., new AI methods changing how we can study groups), the ‘bad’ (the rise of hate, global division, and conflict), and the ‘ugly-ficial’ (working with vs against artificial agents). Looking into the next decade, my hope is that the ‘multi-disciplinary’ family that contributes to Small Group Research will work together to resolve some of our society’s most urgent problems.

Small Group Research
Deakin University (AU)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Conflict Management and Negotiation
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.