Unveiling Team Emergent States in the Age of Human-AI Teaming

Abstract

This study explores team emergent states (team cohesion, team identification, team psychological safety) in Human-AI teams (HATs) compared to human-only teams (HTs). In a laboratory experiment, participants (N = 67 teams; 134 individuals) completed two tasks. The first round involved two human teammates. The second round introduced a third teammate–either another human (HTs) or an AI (HATs). We hypothesized that HATs would exhibit lower levels of team emergent states. Results suggest that HATs exhibit lower team cohesion and identification than HTs, an effect that seems to occur indirectly through reduced levels of self-rated team performance and team trust. There was no difference in perceived team psychological safety. Participants in HATs identified less with the AI than with the human teammate. These findings suggest that traditional team dynamics might not be directly applied to HATs. This research advances our understanding of the implications of AI teammates, providing practical insights for implementing AI while maintaining effective teamwork.