It’s Hard to Use AI as a Team. These 3 Practices Can Help.

2026-05-13 · Source: Feeds - HBR.org · Field: Business & Management — Corporate Strategy & Leadership, Operations & Process Management · Depth: Intermediate, medium

Summary

Integrating AI into team settings often reduces engagement and narrows participation, contrary to expectations, according to research published on May 13, 2026. A five-month experiment involving 60 managers from 12 companies, using OpenAI's ChatGPT, revealed that initial AI integration led to teams becoming passive and AI dominating discussions. The study identified three pitfalls: defaulting to individual chat mode, assigning AI a static role, and interacting in a staccato-style. To overcome these, the researchers developed the "Human-AI Team Chemistry" approach, emphasizing engaging AI as a team, leveraging its role fluidity, and maintaining collective ownership of interactions. Implementing these practices significantly increased engagement by 30% and improved collaboration and output quality.

Key takeaway

For Directors of AI/ML or team leaders integrating generative AI, recognize that AI's impact on teamwork is not inherently positive. You must deliberately foster "Human-AI Team Chemistry" by planning AI's role, preparing specific prompts, and reviewing interactions. This proactive approach will prevent passive engagement and ensure AI enhances, rather than detracts from, collective decision-making and output quality.

Key insights

Intentional integration of AI into team workflows is crucial to prevent reduced engagement and ensure high-quality outcomes.

Principles

• Engage AI collectively as a team.
• Utilize AI in multiple, fluid roles.
• Maintain shared ownership of AI interactions.

Method

A five-month experiment with 60 managers across 12 companies used OpenAI's ChatGPT, observing real-time interactions, analyzing chat transcripts, and collecting post-session surveys to identify and address AI collaboration pitfalls.

In practice

• Plan meeting agendas with explicit AI slots.
• Prepare prompts for specific AI roles.
• Review chat transcripts post-session for improvement.

Topics

• Generative AI
• Team Collaboration
• Human-AI Interaction
• AI Integration
• Meeting Management

Best for: Director of AI/ML, Consultant, Operations Professional

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Feeds - HBR.org.