Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-9-2026
Abstract
Organizations increasingly deploy intelligent assistants to augment human tasks within virtual teams, reshaping how work is coordinated and performed. As intelligent assistants become embedded in everyday workflows, technology shifts from a passive tool to an active collaborator in team processes. Despite growing adoption, trust remains a critical factor influencing the use of intelligent assistants and may hinder organizations’ efforts to realize their full value. Prior research debates which trust construct is most appropriate for examining trust in artificial intelligence. Traditional perspectives emphasize cognitive and affective trust, developed for human-to-human relationships, which may not fully capture trust in human–computer contexts. Emerging research distinguishes between human-like and system-like attributes of intelligent assistants when conceptualizing trust. To clarify this ambiguity, this study compares two trust constructs among members of virtual teams working with an intelligent assistant embedded within collaboration software, contributing to a more distinctive understanding of trust conceptualization in AI-augmented teamwork.