Evolution From Human Virtual Teams to Artificial Virtual Teams Supported by Artificial Intelligence. Results of Literature Analysis and Empirical Research
Evolution From Human Virtual Teams to Artificial Virtual Teams Supported by Artificial Intelligence. Results of Literature Analysis and Empirical Research

Summary/Abstract: Purpose: The paper addresses the research problem of the new organizational reality which will includehybrid virtual teams, where both humans and artificial agents will be members and management tasksor leadership roles will be assumed by artificial intelligence. The objectives of the paper are to initiallyanswer 4 research questions: (1) what are the characteristics of virtual teams in the era of intelligenttechnology, (2) what is the role of technology in changing the human-machine relationship, (3) to whatextent can artificial intelligence replace humans in a virtual team, (4) how can team members be replacedby artificial intelligence in a virtual team. Design/methodology/approach: The research method is a literature review and our own empirical researchconcerning the new organizational reality with hybrid virtual teams consisting of humans as well asartificial agents. The research data was the results of a long-term observation of a virtual team whichwas conducted in June 2021 in a group of students who worked 36 hours using online managementtools in TransistorsHead.com and MS Teams. Findings: The research has shown that virtual teams require different ways of communication and thatconsequences of working in such a team change the types of tasks, time spent working together asa group and social aspects of cooperation between team members. This experiment has shown thatthe decision-making process based on artificial entities can fulfill the requirements of virtual teamsand that such entities can be considered as teammates or teams (Team As A Software – TAAS). It isalso possible also to imitate a human-like manager (Manager As A Software – MAAS) or its higherevolutionary copy, namely a “sophisticated superhuman machine”. Research limitations/implications: The research results presented here are an example of researchconducted from 2012 on, by means of online managerial tools, concerning the work of virtual teams andthe opportunity to replace a human manager with a robot one. The answers to the research questionscan only be applied to the studied group of students and cannot be generalized for all teams. Futureresearch will be conducted with a wider group of respondents. Originality/value: The originality of the presented research results lies in the fact that the data collectedduring the research represents the real activities undertaken by the manager and his/her team membersduring the 36-hour work on the task concerned rather than being mere declarations of these activitiesby the respondents.

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