Abstract

This research proposal aims to study an emerging technology that is beginning to appear in the workplace. Intelligent employee assistants (IEA) are IT artifacts that help employees via natural language to relieve employees from routine tasks, collaborates with employees, makes recommendations and performs actions. These applications are being implemented and deployed by organizations to support employees. Examples of such applications include Alexa for Business and Nokia’s Multi-purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant (MIKA). IEAs have the potential to disrupt the workplace as they will perform ever-increasing tasks to enhance employee performance. However, human language is ambiguous; communication is a complex process and employees may have worries about losing control over their jobs being taken over by intelligent artificial applications such as IEAs. This research proposes to investigate the interaction between employees and IEAs and study the elements that break down communication and impede performance using the transactional communication theory.

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AI in the Workplace: The Case of Intelligent Employee Assistants

This research proposal aims to study an emerging technology that is beginning to appear in the workplace. Intelligent employee assistants (IEA) are IT artifacts that help employees via natural language to relieve employees from routine tasks, collaborates with employees, makes recommendations and performs actions. These applications are being implemented and deployed by organizations to support employees. Examples of such applications include Alexa for Business and Nokia’s Multi-purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant (MIKA). IEAs have the potential to disrupt the workplace as they will perform ever-increasing tasks to enhance employee performance. However, human language is ambiguous; communication is a complex process and employees may have worries about losing control over their jobs being taken over by intelligent artificial applications such as IEAs. This research proposes to investigate the interaction between employees and IEAs and study the elements that break down communication and impede performance using the transactional communication theory.

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