A colleague named Max: A critical inquiry into affects when an anthropomorphised AI (ro)bot enters the workplace

We offer a critical inquiry into the faltering entry of an anthropomorphised AI (ro)bot, an algorithm without physical or visual form, into the workplace in a media consultancy company. While living a digital life in the virtual world, the ro(bot) was given a human name. We highlight the unexpected consequences the humanisation of an early form of artificial intelligence (AI) has on the affects circulating between people and the new technology and between members of different organisational groups. We argue that anthropomorphising technologies such as AI influences the affective life of organisations and amplifies existing discontent between organisational members, complicating the introduction of the technology. Focusing on human-AI interaction, our analysis reveals a rift between managers who are excited and hopeful about the future capabilities of AI and employees who are frustrated and angry about its present shortcomings. We conclude that collective affects play a central role in contemporary technology-driven organisations in which the role people play in relation to the avalanche of AI technologies is often neglected.

Automated summary

This article offers a critical examination of the challenges faced by an anthropomorphised AI in the workplace of a media consultancy company. It discusses the unexpected consequences of humanising early forms of AI on the relationships between individuals and the new technology, as well as between different organizational groups. The analysis reveals a divergence of opinions between excited and hopeful managers and frustrated and angry employees regarding the capabilities and shortcomings of AI.