Rising with the machines: A sociotechnical framework for bringing artificial intelligence into the organization

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being adopted by organizations, yet implementation is often carried out without careful consideration of the employees who will be working along with it. If employees do not understand or work with AI, it is unlikely to bring value to an organization. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ways in which employees and AI can collaborate to build different levels of sociotechnical capital. Accordingly, we develop a model of AI integration based on Socio-Technical Systems (STS) theory that combines AI novelty and scope dimensions. We take an organizational socialization approach to build an understanding of the process of integrating AI into the organization. Our framework underscores the importance of AI socialization as a core process in successfully integrating AI systems and employees. We conclude with a future research agenda that highlights the cognitive, relational, and structural implications of integrating AI and employees.