The Department of Enterprise Computing was represented at I3E 2026 in Tampere

At the conference, Maximilian Nebel presented the paper “From System to Teammate: Human-Centered AI in the Industrial Internet of Things.”

In his research, Maximilian explores how the use of human-centered AI (HCAI) can be described in the context of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)—that is, AI systems that support workers in making industrial decisions without taking control away from them. Based on a systematic review of existing research, the study shows that such systems are increasingly evolving from purely technical tools into genuine team members in the decision-making process.

According to the study, however, this transformation does not happen on its own. Three factors determine whether AI is actually perceived as a helpful colleague: First, the system must be tailored to the specific task at hand, rather than being used as a one-size-fits-all solution. Second, the nature of the collaboration matters—for example, how clearly an AI explains its recommendations and how easily employees can challenge them. And third, the company needs clear rules regarding how data is handled and who bears which responsibilities. Only when these three factors work together can a system truly become a team member.

Participation in the I3E also provided a good opportunity for professional exchange with the international information systems community, as well as for discussing current developments in the field of human-AI interaction in industrial contexts.

The paper has been published as part of the conference proceedings by Springer and is available under the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-38014-2_5