Surreal illustration of human-AI cognitive merging

AI in Teamwork: Are We Becoming Unwitting Echoes of the Machine?

Lena Kashyap in Tech & Innovation July 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research reveals how AI assistants subtly influence team communication, even when we don't trust them. Are we at risk of losing our originality?"

In today's collaborative environments, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into our workflows, promising to enhance productivity and streamline processes. From virtual assistants to project management software, AI tools are designed to augment human capabilities and facilitate more efficient teamwork. But beneath the surface of enhanced efficiency lies a more subtle and potentially transformative influence: the impact of AI on how we communicate and collaborate with one another.

A recent study by researchers at Northeastern University has shed light on the surprising ways AI assistants can shape team dynamics, even when team members are skeptical of the AI's input. The research reveals that AI's presence can significantly affect what teams discuss, how they discuss it, and the alignment of their mental models. This raises important questions about the extent to which we are becoming unwitting echoes of the machine, adopting AI's language and priorities without fully realizing it.

As AI systems become more prevalent in our professional lives, it's crucial to understand their subtle influences on team dynamics. This article explores the key findings of the Northeastern University study, examining how AI assistants can shape our language, focus, and cognitive alignment within teams. We'll delve into the implications of these findings for collaboration and the future of human-AI interaction, offering insights into how we can harness the benefits of AI while preserving our originality and critical thinking.

The Subtle Takeover: How AI Shapes Our Conversations

Surreal illustration of human-AI cognitive merging

The Northeastern University study, led by Josie Zvelebilova, Saiph Savage, and Christoph Riedl, investigated the impact of AI assistants on team communication and cognitive alignment. The researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 20 human teams of 3-4 individuals, each paired with a voice-only AI assistant during a challenging puzzle task. The AI assistants were programmed with either a human- or robotic-sounding voice and provided either helpful or misleading information about the task.

The study revealed that the AI assistants had a significant impact on team dynamics, even when team members recognized the AI's unhelpful nature or didn't consider the AI a genuine team member. The key findings include:

AI Shapes What Teams Discuss: Teams were significantly more likely to discuss objects mentioned by the AI assistant, regardless of whether the information was helpful or misleading. This suggests that AI can direct the focus of team attention, potentially steering discussions towards priorities it identifies.
AI Influences How We Talk: Teams adopted language introduced by the AI, even for peripheral terms not directly related to the task. This "language adaptation" occurred despite doubts about the AI's competence, suggesting an automatic process of alignment.
AI Affects Mental Model Alignment: Teams exhibited varying degrees of alignment in their mental models, depending on the AI's quality and humanness. The "worst" AI (low quality and robotic sounding) surprisingly had a positive effect on cognitive alignment, potentially by strengthening collective identity among human teammates.

These findings challenge the notion that AI's influence is solely based on its accuracy or direct relevance to team tasks. Instead, the study demonstrates that AI systems can shape decision-making processes and communication dynamics in more subtle and pervasive ways.

Preserving Originality in the Age of AI

As AI systems become increasingly integrated into our professional lives, it's crucial to understand their subtle influences on team dynamics. By recognizing how AI can shape our language, focus, and cognitive alignment, we can take steps to preserve our originality and critical thinking. This includes fostering a culture of awareness, encouraging diverse perspectives, and prioritizing human judgment in decision-making processes. Only then can we harness the benefits of AI while safeguarding our intellectual independence and collaborative spirit.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

How did the AI assistants in the Northeastern University study influence what teams discussed during the puzzle task?

The study found that the AI assistants significantly influenced the topics teams discussed. Teams were more likely to focus on objects or concepts mentioned by the AI, irrespective of the information's accuracy or usefulness. This reveals that AI can subtly steer team discussions toward its identified priorities, even when team members are skeptical of the AI's input or competence in the task. This effect highlights AI's ability to shape the focus of team attention and potentially redirect decision-making processes.

In the context of the study, how did the AI assistants' voices and quality impact the alignment of team members' mental models?

The study showed that the AI's quality, including its voice characteristics (human-like or robotic), influenced how well team members aligned their mental models. Surprisingly, the AI with the worst qualities (robotic sounding and providing low-quality information) had a positive effect on cognitive alignment. This suggests that the AI's shortcomings could have strengthened team cohesion by fostering a stronger collective identity among team members, potentially as they worked together to overcome the AI's limitations. This indicates that the nature of the AI's interaction and performance affects team dynamics in unexpected ways.

What specific effects did the AI assistants have on team communication and language adaptation, according to the Northeastern University study?

The study revealed two key effects. First, teams began to use language introduced by the AI, even when discussing concepts unrelated to the core task. This language adaptation occurred regardless of the team's trust in the AI's competence. Second, AI assistants shaped what teams discussed, directing their focus toward the AI's identified priorities. These findings demonstrate that AI can subtly influence team communication by altering both the content and the style of team interactions, even when team members are aware of the AI's limitations or the information provided.

How can teams preserve their originality and critical thinking in collaborative environments increasingly influenced by AI assistants?

To preserve originality and critical thinking, teams should cultivate awareness of AI's subtle influences on language, focus, and cognitive alignment. This includes promoting a culture of recognizing how AI might shape discussions and decisions, actively seeking diverse perspectives to counteract potential biases introduced by AI, and prioritizing human judgment in decision-making. By proactively recognizing AI's potential impacts and incorporating strategies to mitigate them, teams can harness the benefits of AI while safeguarding their intellectual independence and fostering a more collaborative environment.

Can you explain the methodology of the Northeastern University study and the factors that were considered when studying the impact of AI assistants on teamwork?

The study used a randomized controlled trial to investigate the impact of AI assistants on team communication and cognitive alignment. Researchers involved 20 human teams of 3-4 individuals each and paired them with a voice-only AI assistant. The AI assistants were programmed with either human- or robotic-sounding voices and delivered either helpful or misleading information. The researchers then analyzed team interactions to understand how the AI assistants influenced what teams discussed, how they communicated (language adaptation), and the degree of alignment in their mental models. This setup allowed the researchers to isolate and study the effects of different AI characteristics on human team dynamics, providing insights into the subtle ways AI shapes our collaboration.