‘It could get a bit awkward’ if an AI agent with a very human voice and image (correctly) contradicts the CEO at a board meeting
There are big implications for the workplace as artificial intelligence agents become more humanlike, says a new study.
We are all used to the robotic voices of Alexa, Siri and the like. But imagine a corporate board meeting in which a very humanlike (anthropomorphic) AI agent provides answers or data that contradict the CEO – showing that the CEO is wrong.
“AI has the potential to advance the workplace by leaps and bounds in efficiency … but it could get a bit awkward,” says Professor Jochen Menges of Cambridge Judge Business School and the University of Zurich, co-author of the study published in the academic journal Computers in Human Behavior.
On the plus side, the study based on white-collar workers in Switzerland shows that humanlike AI agents in the workplace can help employees through a feeling of engaging with a co-worker rather than a tool, thus increasing trust and confidence in working with AI.
But on the negative side, the study entitled “When AI gets personal” found that some people working with humanlike AI agents have feelings of lost autonomy and independence, thus harming their sense of self-worth.
Says Professor Jochen Menges:
“Early chatbots had a robotic-like voice that varies little from answer to answer. But our study highlights that more modern anthropomorphic features such as voice intonation, conversational style and appearance are important in strengthening users’ positive emotions as they interact with AI, but there are also drawbacks from poor design or implementation.”
The study concludes that as AI becomes more humanlike, design of AI agents should “foster, rather than hinder, employee engagement” to ensure a positive AI contribution to workplace environments.
Read a longer article on our website.
