2022 Theses Doctoral

Artificial Intelligence in Organizations: Three Experiments on Human/Machine Interaction and Human Augmentation

Dell'Acqua, Fabrizio

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to deeply alter the structure of organizations and work. This dissertation explores how firms and their human workers interact with the diffusion of automation and related technologies in the workplace, and how this informs our general understanding of organizations. I use three experiments to examine the consequences and implications of human-machine interaction in organizations.

Chapter 1 studies the introduction of AI agents and human new hires into "laboratory firms" as they engage in a coordination-based game. Chapter 2 focuses on the sources of AI bias and offers practical solutions managers can adopt to limit bias. Finally, Chapter 3 studies how organizations can enjoy the benefits of AI and ensure that human collaborators remain engaged and exert effort.

Overall, my dissertation develops an organizational and team perspective on the impact of workplace automation. Successful human/AI collaboration requires going beyond the technical capabilities of AI and developing a human-centered approach that incorporates firm strategies, behavioral responses, and managerial choices.