AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaboration

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into team settings for collaboration with humans, understanding the dynamics of trust and AI literacy is essential for enhancing team effectiveness. This study investigates the relationship between trust and AI literacy in human-generat...

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Main Authors: Zilong Pan, Ozias A. Moore, Antigoni Papadimitriou, Jiayan Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000465
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author Zilong Pan
Ozias A. Moore
Antigoni Papadimitriou
Jiayan Zhu
author_facet Zilong Pan
Ozias A. Moore
Antigoni Papadimitriou
Jiayan Zhu
author_sort Zilong Pan
collection DOAJ
description As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into team settings for collaboration with humans, understanding the dynamics of trust and AI literacy is essential for enhancing team effectiveness. This study investigates the relationship between trust and AI literacy in human-generative AI (GAI) team collaboration, focusing on how AI literacy affects trust formation in these interactions. Drawing upon foundational teamwork literature and AI literacy frameworks, we conducted a multi-method investigation involving 116 undergraduate team members across 23 project teams throughout a semester. In Study 1, qualitative findings revealed distinct attitudes toward GAI as a teammate, categorized as trust, distrust, and ambivalence. Study 2 employed quantitative methods to determine predictors of trust in GAI, demonstrating that AI knowledge and perceived value—key components of AI literacy—significantly influenced perceptions of trust. Notably, perceptions of GAI accuracy emerged as a critical determinant of trust. Our findings highlight the complex interplay between AI literacy and trust in human-GAI collaboration. We observed a paradox: increased AI literacy can enhance collaboration but may also lead to hesitancy in future AI use. We contribute to advancing the understanding of human-AI collaboration by highlighting the critical role of AI literacy in shaping trust and socio-technical team dynamics. Our study provides evidence demonstrating the importance of targeted AI literacy development in building trust and fostering effective collaboration in human-GAI teams. These findings provide a foundation for research aimed at optimizing human-GAI teamwork and developing adaptive AI literacy frameworks, empowering individuals to effectively engage with AI across diverse collaborative settings.
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spelling doaj-art-b954f13a7d764490935e66b6d7174d0f2025-08-20T01:59:14ZengElsevierComputers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans2949-88212025-05-01410016210.1016/j.chbah.2025.100162AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaborationZilong Pan0Ozias A. Moore1Antigoni Papadimitriou2Jiayan Zhu3Department of Education and Human Services, College of Education, Lehigh University, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, 18015, PA, USA; Corresponding author.Department of Management, College of Business, Lehigh University, 621 Taylor Street, Bethlehem, 18015, PA, USADepartment of Management, College of Business, Lehigh University, 621 Taylor Street, Bethlehem, 18015, PA, USADepartment of Education and Human Services, College of Education, Lehigh University, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, 18015, PA, USAAs artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into team settings for collaboration with humans, understanding the dynamics of trust and AI literacy is essential for enhancing team effectiveness. This study investigates the relationship between trust and AI literacy in human-generative AI (GAI) team collaboration, focusing on how AI literacy affects trust formation in these interactions. Drawing upon foundational teamwork literature and AI literacy frameworks, we conducted a multi-method investigation involving 116 undergraduate team members across 23 project teams throughout a semester. In Study 1, qualitative findings revealed distinct attitudes toward GAI as a teammate, categorized as trust, distrust, and ambivalence. Study 2 employed quantitative methods to determine predictors of trust in GAI, demonstrating that AI knowledge and perceived value—key components of AI literacy—significantly influenced perceptions of trust. Notably, perceptions of GAI accuracy emerged as a critical determinant of trust. Our findings highlight the complex interplay between AI literacy and trust in human-GAI collaboration. We observed a paradox: increased AI literacy can enhance collaboration but may also lead to hesitancy in future AI use. We contribute to advancing the understanding of human-AI collaboration by highlighting the critical role of AI literacy in shaping trust and socio-technical team dynamics. Our study provides evidence demonstrating the importance of targeted AI literacy development in building trust and fostering effective collaboration in human-GAI teams. These findings provide a foundation for research aimed at optimizing human-GAI teamwork and developing adaptive AI literacy frameworks, empowering individuals to effectively engage with AI across diverse collaborative settings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000465AI literacyAI teammateGenerative AIHuman-GAI collaborationTeam-based projectsTrust
spellingShingle Zilong Pan
Ozias A. Moore
Antigoni Papadimitriou
Jiayan Zhu
AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaboration
Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans
AI literacy
AI teammate
Generative AI
Human-GAI collaboration
Team-based projects
Trust
title AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaboration
title_full AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaboration
title_fullStr AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaboration
title_full_unstemmed AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaboration
title_short AI literacy and trust: A multi-method study of Human-GAI team collaboration
title_sort ai literacy and trust a multi method study of human gai team collaboration
topic AI literacy
AI teammate
Generative AI
Human-GAI collaboration
Team-based projects
Trust
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000465
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AT oziasamoore ailiteracyandtrustamultimethodstudyofhumangaiteamcollaboration
AT antigonipapadimitriou ailiteracyandtrustamultimethodstudyofhumangaiteamcollaboration
AT jiayanzhu ailiteracyandtrustamultimethodstudyofhumangaiteamcollaboration