Mandatory use of AI technology dampens people’s enthusiasm for the stuff

Teams with a positive inclination towards artificial intelligence experienced a dampening effect on their enthusiasm to collaborate when forced to use AI technology, a new study has found. Researchers also found that teams with initial negative views about AI were in fact more likely to collaborate with AI when forced to use it. The research, which has been published in the academic journal Group & Organization Management, underscores the importance of trust in AI and how employers should introduce the growing technology into their businesses.

IÉSEG School of Management, Europe’s leading international business school, has released the study examining the factors influencing the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within teams. IÉSEG School of Management Professor Evangeline Yang, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Buffalo, Rutgers University, and Simon Fraser University, examined teams’ attitudes towards AI and its implementation within organisations.

Titled “Why Teams Adopt AI or Not: Insights into the Use of AI in Teams,” the study offers an understanding of how teams are adopting artificial intelligence into their businesses and how it is being introduced into team operations .

Researchers looked at how individuals and teams interact with AI by conducting an extensive review of top-tier journals, exploring attitudes towards AI and other new technology and their implementation strategies. They found that when AI adoption was voluntary instead of being forced, teams with positive perceptions of AI demonstrated an increased inclination to use AI while teams with negative perceptions were even less likely to adopt AI technology.

Professor Yang’s research highlights the importance of assessing employees’ attitudes towards AI before making decisions on how to adopt it within an organisation and whether the adoption of the technology is forced upon teams or is voluntary. She believes organisations should gauge employees’ attitudes before taking a decision on how to adopt it via a survey or questionnaire.

Professor Yang said: “As a HR researcher I was particularly interested in the human side and the way individuals and teams interact with AI. “The study highlights the importance of feelings and trust in AI, when implementation and whether to adopt it is left to the team.”

The study by IÉSEG School of Management offers practical implications for organisations looking to leverage AI technology effectively and optimise performance of their teams.

More information is available in the full paper : Bezrukova, K., Griffith, T. L., Spell, C., Rice, V., & Yang, H. E. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and Groups: Effects of Attitudes and Discretion on Collaboration. Group & Organization Management, 48(2), 629–670.