“Our research is based on the deployment of cutting-edge conversational AI in the context of professional collaboration within knowledge-based organizations,” said Triantoro. “A number of jobs are currently facilitated by AI, and the collaboration of humans and machines is growing. The goal of this research is the development and training of collaborative chatbots to support people in their workplaces by reducing the workload and performing both routine and highly creative tasks.”

Triantoro and her colleagues have been exploring the use of AI to generate realistic natural human language and provide recommendations in a business setting. They are striving to understand the patterns of usage of virtual assistants in the office, to explore the features of AI that make useful and collaborative applications and create human-AI synergies and to understand the conditions that make human-AI collaboration successful.

“Since much of much of my research work relates to human interaction with technology, I focus on factors that enhance user experience with technology, such as user interface, usability and trust in technology,” said Triantoro. “In this research we investigate the acceptance of AI-driven virtual assistants through the lens of individual employee characteristics, such as personality traits and cultural background.”

Triantoro said that the results of the research will allow organizations to offer customized AI solutions that will improve employee experience with virtual assistants since the virtual assistant will be more compatible with the employee. This is expected to lead to a better collaboration between humans and machines – and consequently improve productivity and satisfaction.

“Contemporary AI applications revolutionize the way people interact and communicate with technology,” said Triantoro. “Being able to understand and use AI is crucial for students to be successful in their current and future careers.”

This collaboration resulted in joint work “Why Should I Like AI? The Effect of Personality Traits on the Acceptance of AI-Driven Virtual Assistants in the Workplace” presented at the Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS) in July 2022, and “Will I Use AI? The Effect of Personality Traits and Cultural Characteristics on AI Adoption in the Workplace” submitted to the 5th Middle East & North Africa Conference for Information System (MENACIS 2022). Additionally, Triantoro and one of her research partners, Aleksandra Przegalińska, started a blog, “AI One on One” in which they discuss the advantages and limitations of current AI systems and explore the possibilities of using AI for good.