BIO
Luca Pietrantoni is a Full Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Bologna, Italy. He heads the “Human Factors, Risk and Safety” Research Unit and has previously directed the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in “Work, Organization and Personnel Psychology” at the university. As a principal investigator on multiple EU-funded projects, his research focuses on the integration of technology in organizations and the impact of AI, automation, and robotics in the workplace. He coordinated the H2020 H-work project and is contributing to various Horizon Europe initiatives, including SESTOSENSO, TUPLES, and EDGE AI. Prof. Pietrantoni collaborates with companies on human factors, ergonomics, and workplace transformations, particularly in safety contexts. He is an active member of European scientific organizations, including the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES-Europe Chapter). His scholarly work has been published in academic journals such as Accident Analysis & Prevention, Risk Analysis, and Applied Ergonomics. Prof. Pietrantoni’s expertise spans the intersections of psychology, technology, and organizational dynamics, with a particular emphasis on enhancing workplace safety and efficiency.
Preliminary title
Artificial intelligence and robotics in the workplace: hybrid teams and skill challenges
Abstract
This “State of the Art Talk” explores of human-AI and human-robot collaboration in organizational settings, examining how these technologies is transforming work processes and team dynamics. Drawing on recent research and industry data, the presentation begins by analyzing current digitalization trends and AI adoption rates across different business sectors, highlighting the emergence of “augmented work” paradigms rather than complete automation.
The talk introduces key frameworks for understanding human-AI interaction, including the five levels of collaboration and the Exposure-Complementarity Matrix by ILO for job impact assessment. The “Moravec Paradox” — which reveals how tasks humans find easy often prove challenging for AI, while complex cognitive operations can be readily automated—is examined alongside the “O-ring Principle”, demonstrating how improvements in automated components can significantly increase the value of complementary human skills rather than replacing them entirely.
As organizations adapt to AI integration, three distinct skill development approaches become essential: cross-skilling (acquiring complementary skills from adjacent domains through horizontal expansion), upskilling (enhancing existing expertise through vertical growth in current roles), and reskilling (developing entirely new skill sets for different career paths). Each approach requires different resource investments and strategic planning to address the shifting demands of human-AI workplaces.
The talk addresses the emerging “agentic phase” in human-AI collaboration, where autonomous AI systems increasingly take initiative in work processes, raising new questions about team dynamics, decision authority, and cognitive load distribution. More studies are needed about the psychosocial consequences for hybrid teams, including challenges to professional identity, changes in interpersonal trust mechanisms, and potential cognitive dependencies (a new “0 system” of thinking?).
The presentation presents critical challenges in implementing effective human-AI and human-robot teaming through case studies from ongoing European projects like TUPLES and Sestosenso, demonstrating practical applications of these concepts in various industrial contexts. The talk concludes with insights on navigating the “human-centric” transition toward Industry 5.0 presenting the last outputs of the “Community of Practice” (CoP) of the European Commission on Industry 5.0.