Cyborgs, Centaurs and Self Automators: Human-Genai Fused, Directed and Abdicated Knowledge Co-Creation Processes and Their Implications for Skilling

Posted: 12 Sep 2024

See all articles by Steven Randazzo

Steven Randazzo

Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard ; University of Warwick - Warwick Business School

Hila Lifshitz-Assaf

Harvard University Lab for Innovation Sciences; Harvard LISH, Lab for Innovation Sciences; University of Warwick, Warwick Business School

Katherine Kellogg

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management

Fabrizio Dell'Acqua

Harvard University - Business School (HBS)

Ethan R. Mollick

University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School

Karim R. Lakhani

Harvard Business School - Technology and Operations Management Group; Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science; Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Date Written: August 08, 2024

Abstract

Research on human-AI collaboration has focused primarily on task- specific interactions between knowledge professionals and AI at the point of decision making. Yet generative AI is a general purpose technology that broadens the possibilities of human-AI interactions, and changes the nature of interaction to be conversational and iterative. We set out to explore human-GenAI knowledge collaboration in a problem solving workflow. We share findings from a field study of 244 global management consultants from the leading firm, Boston Consulting Group, as they engaged with GenAI (Chat GPT-4) for business problem solving. We found that knowledge professionals may engage in one of three distinct types of human-AI collaboration that we conceptualize as fused co-creation (“cyborgs”), directed co-creation (“centaurs”), and abdicated co-creation (“self-automators”). We describe these three different types of knowledge co-creation, and demonstrate that each of these types has implications for professionals skill transformation around task-related capabilities and AI-related capabilities. Professionals who engaged in directed co-creation (centaurs) upskilled themselves in using AI for task-related capabilities. In contrast, professionals who engaged in fused co-creation (cyborgs) newskilled themselves by acquiring and developing new GenAI-related capabilities. Professionals who engaged in abdicated co-creation failed to gain new skills during their human-AI collaboration. Understanding fused, directed, and abdicated co-creation and their important skilling outcomes is critical to understanding the future of problem-solving work and knowledge work more generally.

Suggested Citation

Randazzo, Steven and Lifshitz-Assaf, Hila and Kellogg, Katherine and Dell'Acqua, Fabrizio and Mollick, Ethan R. and Lakhani, Karim R., Cyborgs, Centaurs and Self Automators: Human-Genai Fused, Directed and Abdicated Knowledge Co-Creation Processes and Their Implications for Skilling (August 08, 2024). The Wharton School Research Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4921696

Steven Randazzo (Contact Author)

Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard ( email )

1737 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

HOME PAGE: http://lish.harvard.edu

University of Warwick - Warwick Business School ( email )

Coventry CV4 7AL
United Kingdom

Hila Lifshitz-Assaf

Harvard University Lab for Innovation Sciences ( email )

Soldiers Field Road
Cotting House 321A
Boston, MA 02163
United States

Harvard LISH, Lab for Innovation Sciences ( email )

William James Hall, Sixth Floor
33 Kirkland Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

University of Warwick, Warwick Business School ( email )

West Midlands, CV4 7AL
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.hilalifshitz.com/

Katherine Kellogg

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management ( email )

100 Main Street
E62-416
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States

Fabrizio Dell'Acqua

Harvard University - Business School (HBS) ( email )

Boston, MA 02163
United States

Ethan R. Mollick

University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School ( email )

The Wharton School
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6370
United States

Karim R. Lakhani

Harvard Business School - Technology and Operations Management Group ( email )

Boston, MA 02163
United States
617-495-6741 (Phone)

Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science ( email )

1737 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society ( email )

Harvard Law School
23 Everett, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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