The Virtual Collaborator - A Definition and Research Agenda

Abstract

The interdisciplinary research endeavor of computer-supported collaborative work has already investigated information technology that supports collaboration. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), new forms of collaboration need to be considered that involve AI as an active partner within a collaborative setting. Theories and design guidelines that support collaboration, considering cognitive and social group effects, need to be revised when team members are not solely human anymore. Within this exploratory study, the authors aim to provide insights of team members on their conception of a so-called virtual collaborator. A study with 144 participants was carried out to provide valuable information about collaboration principles, conceptual implementations and requirements. The results indicate that the participants are indecisive about a precise conception but expect an ideal collaborator that rather should not work on relevant tasks or make vital decisions. Based on the results, the authors compose new research questions and possible experiment settings.