by Discussions about artificial intelligence and robotics often focus on its role as a tool, augmenting our existing skills and increasing our efficiency. Whether in movies, pop culture or according to your own Alexa, artificial intelligence and robotics are presented as an assistant, working for you.
As AI grows smarter, we dream about the tasks it will soon perform for us. With every robotic thumb made, we rejoice in the vision of machines that serve our every need.
We have yet to fully understand that AI and robotics can be much more than that. They may very well one day be our equal peers and even point out our faults.
The integration of AI and robotics in the workplace is already revolutionizing team dynamics. What was once just a ‘team’ is fast becoming one only human staff or the Improved team AI.
Human teams only. Are you ready?
We undertook research aimed at investigating the persistence of self-serving biases in the face of objective performance feedback. As economic researchers, these insights are critical to improving decision-making models that can (and do) guide policies and practices.
Ultimately, we aimed to help explain and address the ways in which people hold overly positive self-views, which influence, among other things, risk-taking, financial decisions, career choices and professional, and team dynamics.
Specifically, we examined how these biases manifest in human-only teams, but also how that changes when workers are paired with robotics (a simple program with different performance probabilities).
We found that when the actions of others are involved, workers are more likely to turn their beliefs to feel better about themselves and their work. In these cases, there is more room for them to see things in a way that makes them look good.
Our results also showed that these workers had a low tendency to change their teammates, which could help them learn more about their true skills.
However, when teamed with robots, our results showed that performance feedback provided to this human-robot collaboration leads to more accurate evaluations of their own abilities compared to human-only teams.
In examining why this is, we found that individuals are less prone to distorting their beliefs about their abilities when working alongside robotics. This reduction in overconfidence helps them make more accurate judgments about their own and their robot peers’ performance, providing more accurate evaluations.
Performance talised Rev(AI).
Participants in our study were more likely to accurately revise their initial performance estimates when collaborating with a robot. Integrating robotics into team environments can reduce the biased responses to objective performance feedback that we have shown to be present in human-only teams.
This improved objectivity allows us to make more informed decisions about delegating work tasks and individual roles, ultimately leading to more effective and efficient teams.
More generally, our study highlights the importance of fostering a culture open to feedback.
In environments where feedback is valued, employees are more likely to participate critically and constructively in performance appraisals. But with constrained budgets, increased pressures, and higher goals, this is often easier said than done.
Managers should also consider rearranging teams periodically to gain a more comprehensive understanding of individual strengths and weaknesses.
Accurate performance appraisals are critical to identify areas where employees can improve and to identify those who consistently perform well.
By encouraging more frequent and effective redeployment of team members, managers can ensure that the right people are collaborating while identifying recurring issues more easily.
AI work-bestie?
How far away until AI is our favorite co-worker? Or when teams are made up of AIs and managed by one person? With continued rapid progress, this idea is not far off.
As companies invest more in AI, we may soon be working alongside AI colleagues much more often, and thus, understanding the long-term impacts of human-collaboration is critical. robot on team dynamics and performance.
For businesses, this means embracing AI not just as an automation tool but as a valuable partner in fostering a more productive work environment where workers can learn more from the performance feedback they receive.
After all, compared to working with a human partner, AI’s perceived reliability makes it more difficult to assign blame elsewhere, increasing the likelihood of reflection when there are bad outcomes.
AI will change the way teams work, making human-AI teams an integral part of the future workplace.
The day when AIs will become essential members of the team is coming soon; it’s not just a helper – it can be a way to more accurate assessments, reduced biases, and improved performance. It is a colleague who is available 24/7, processes huge amounts of data, brings out your objective side, and does not describe you …
Are you ready to welcome AI as your next business?
Dr Leonie Gerhards is a Lecturer in Economics at the King’s Business School, King’s College London, Dr Alexander Coutts is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Schulich Business School, York University, and Dr Zahra Murad is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Accountancy , of Economics and Finance at the University of Portsmouth.
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