Teamwork may fuel effective ideas, even at times better than a single person has the ability to generate on their own, but even the best groups need guidance. Teams become most effective when there is a facilitator who keeps conversations on track, draws out quieter voices, and helps steer decisions. To guide collaboration, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University introduce AI Coach, a novel artificial intelligence agent that can perform as well as, if not marginally better, than a human manager.
Backed by psychology-informed artificial intelligence, AI Coach doesn’t need to be trained on prior problem-solving examples to be successful. Instead, it monitors teams’ collective intelligence.
“Training AI for every problem-solving scenario is impractical,” said Chris McComb, associate professor of mechanical engineering. “If an AI can understand how members of a team contribute to the conversation, assess how aligned they are on the same goals, and prevent individuals from becoming disengaged, then the team will design better solutions regardless of what problem they’re solving.”
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To build the AI Coach, McComb in partnership with Jon Cagan, professor of mechanical engineering, and Scotty McGee, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of mechanical engineering, focused on three specific communication dynamics: equal participation, collective attention, and consistent communication. By understanding these dynamics, the AI coach can intervene when the team is heading off track. For example, if one member of the team is not contributing, the Coach may nudge them by saying, “It’s important that we hear from all team members, so let’s take a moment to gather input from everyone.”
