The forgotten teammate: Considering the labor perspective in human-autonomy teams

Abstract

Advancements in technology, such as autonomous agents, have sparked a substantial increase in human-autonomy teaming (HAT) research. Despite this increase in research, there is one perspective that is often overlooked in the literature: the human worker. As such, our research extends the literature by presenting the worker's perspective and providing key contextual considerations for successful integration of HATs within field environments. To accomplish this, interviews, focus groups and site visits were conducted in both the construction and manufacturing industries. We aim to answer two questions: (1) what are the subjective worker experiences regarding HATs in the field? And (2) what is the influence of context on worker experiences in field HATs? We discuss three themes that emerged, followed by implications for research and practice.