Pok Man Tang, an assistant professor in the Terry College of Business’ management department, recently spoke with U.S. News & World Report about how working with artificial intelligence builds loneliness in some workers.
“The rapid advancement in AI systems is sparking a new industrial revolution that is reshaping the workplace with many benefits but also some uncharted dangers, including potentially damaging mental and physical impacts for employees,” he said.
Tang led a team of researchers in four experiments in the United States, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Tang said that developers of AI should consider equipping AI systems with social features, such as a human voice, to emulate human-like interactions. Employers also could limit the frequency of work with AI systems and offer opportunities for employees to socialize.
“Mindfulness programs and other positive interventions also might help relieve loneliness,” Tang said. “AI will keep expanding, so we need to act now to lessen the potentially damaging effects for people who work with these systems.”
