Machines as teammates: A research agenda on AI in team collaboration

TLDR

Artificial intelligence could serve as teammates rather than tools. The paper reports on an international initiative by 65 collaboration scientists to develop a research agenda for exploring the potential risks and benefits of machines as teammates. A subteam of 12 converged the 819 research questions into a research agenda with three design areas—Machine artifact, Collaboration, and Institution—and 17 dualities highlighting potential benefits and harms. The initiative produced 819 research questions and a structured agenda that organizes early thought and research in this new area.

Abstract

What if artificial intelligence (AI) machines became teammates rather than tools? This paper reports on an international initiative by 65 collaboration scientists to develop a research agenda for exploring the potential risks and benefits of machines as teammates (MaT). They generated 819 research questions. A subteam of 12 converged them to a research agenda comprising three design areas – Machine artifact, Collaboration, and Institution – and 17 dualities – significant effects with the potential for benefit or harm. The MaT research agenda offers a structure and archetypal research questions to organize early thought and research in this new area of study.