Quality of human-GenAI collaboration and its driving factors: A symbiotic agency perspective

Abstract

Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly integrated into users’ daily work as a collaborative partner. Drawing on the symbiotic agency theory, this study investigates the quality of human-GenAI collaboration using a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Study 1 identified three dimensions of human-GenAI collaboration quality that comprise outcome quality, comfort, and efficiency; and six driving factors which can be categorized under human agency (domain knowledge, desire for control, and domestication ability), and GenAI agency (communication ability, working memory, and long-term memory). Study 2 applied fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore configurations of the driving factors that lead to high collaboration quality. Four distinct configurations emerged: 1) Domain knowledge, domestication ability, communication ability, and working memory; 2) Domain knowledge, domestication ability, working memory, and long-term memory; 3) Domain knowledge, communication ability, working memory, and long-term memory; and 4) Domain knowledge, ∼desire for control, domestication ability, communication ability, and long-term memory. These results advance understanding of human-GenAI collaboration by highlighting critical configurations of human and GenAI agency that foster high-quality collaboration. The study offers actionable insights to enhance human-GenAI interactions by optimizing both human and GenAI capabilities.

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

3-1-2026

Volume

63

Issue

2

Publication Title

Information Processing and Management

Publisher

Elsevier

School

School of Business and Law

RAS ID

84242

Funders

National Natural Science Foundation of China (72402153) / Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2024NSFSC1039) / 2024 Research Initiation Support Program for Young Scholars of the School of History and Culture (scuhistory2024–2)

Comments

Shang, J., Huang, D., & Huang, S. (2025). Quality of human-GenAI collaboration and its driving factors: A symbiotic agency perspective. Information Processing & Management, 63(2), 104373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2025.104373

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1016/j.ipm.2025.104373