Human-AI collaboration

What the publications show

1. Studies in services find that the effect of robots depends on how employees experience them. Kean University links perceived support from a service robot to greater work engagement; the University of Surrey finds that robot characteristics also affect feelings of job insecurity.

   Kean University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · University of Surrey, 2025 (opens in a new window)

2. Two studies find that time savings come with extra checking work. The University of Manitoba sees developers doing routine work faster and putting a lot of effort into checking the output; the University of Bologna finds that legal judgement still requires human oversight.

   University of Manitoba, 2026 (opens in a new window) · University of Bologna, 2026 (opens in a new window)

3. One University of Bologna study of public sector organisations finds that generative AI helps mainly with writing, searching and internal communication, and that productivity gains remain limited without changes to work processes, training and oversight.

   University of Bologna, 2026 (opens in a new window)

4. In manufacturing, Deloitte and Kempten University of Applied Sciences see language models as a way to pass the knowledge of experienced technicians on to newcomers. Kempten finds that knowledge management in factories is currently fragmented and relies heavily on personal contact.

   Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Kempten University of Applied Sciences, 2026 (opens in a new window)

5. Studies of hybrid teams point to what working with software or robots requires. Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology names social skills, professional expertise and willingness to collaborate; the University of Massachusetts Boston emphasises the work environment.

   Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, 2026 (opens in a new window) · University of Massachusetts Boston, 2026 (opens in a new window)

Topics within human-AI collaboration

This list shows what the publications on this theme are about, with the number for each topic. Open a topic to see its publications; if a topic has a briefing, the link is underneath.

• Robots in services2 publications

  • Collaborating with service robots: enhancing work engagement and job outcomes · Kean University, 2026
  • The influence of human-robot collaboration on perceived job duality and workplace well-being: Hotel employees’ perspectives · University of Surrey, 2025
• Digital colleagues3 publications

  • AI Agents as Virtual Coworkers: Factors Influencing Collaboration Intention in the Workplace · SUNY Oneonta, 2026
  • 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report: Agents, human agency, and the opportunity for every organization · Microsoft WorkLab, 2026
  • Hybrid Workforce: Competences for Effective Collaboration Between Employees and Software Robots · Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, 2026
• Knowledge on the factory floor2 publications

  • Expanding the skilled manufacturing workforce with AI · Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, 2026
  • Knowledge Management in Manufacturing: Current Practices, Barriers, and Automation Potential for LLM-Supported Systems · Kempten University of Applied Sciences, 2026
  Briefing: The technician shortage in manufacturing and AI in onboarding →
• Organising the work2 publications

  • The future workplace: developing the human-machine symbioscape · University of Massachusetts Boston, 2026
  • Governing generative AI in public administration: Productivity, work redesign and reflective human–AI collaboration · University of Bologna, 2026
• Cognitive load2 publications

  • Cognitive Offloading in Human-GenAI Collaboration · University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2026
  • AI-Assisted Collaboration: Exploring Developer Experience with GitHub Copilot and Windsurf · University of Manitoba, 2026

Briefings on this theme

Where several organisations publish roughly the same thing on a topic, we have used AI to compile a briefing. Click a card for the key point, the figures with their sources and what it means for the leadership team.

Briefings on other themes that touch on this one

These briefings belong to another theme but also cover human-AI collaboration.