Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi wins award for best article
Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi, Assistant Professor at the UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS), has won the Best Article Award for 2018 from Business Horizons. “Artificial intelligence and the future of work: Human-AI symbiosis in organizational decision making,” appeared in the July–August 2018 edition of the journal. In addition to recognition in the May-June 2019 issue, Jarrahi will receive a $500 prize.
The winning article builds upon the concept of human-machine symbiosis, and explores the complementarity of humans and artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of organizational decision-making. AI capabilities can help humans overcome the complexity of data through the machines’ superior analytical approach, but the role of human decision makers in dealing with uncertainty and especially developing a compelling narrative to persuade others, remains unquestionable, according to the article. Jarrahi said he intended for the article to contribute to an understanding of how AI can aid and augment, rather than replace, human decision-making.
“As AI applications continue to proliferate, organizations are faced with vexing questions about AI’s influence on work and workers,” Jarrahi said. “I wanted this article to serve as a more effective guide for the future of work and AI rather than a preoccupation with super-intelligent machines that can replicate every aspect of human intelligence, and eventually replace them in the workplace.”
Jarrahi’s research focuses on the use and consequences of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the accompanying social and organizational changes that these bring to knowledge-intensive organizational contexts. He is the past recipient of the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Deborah Barreau Award for Teaching Excellence from SILS, the SILS Kilgour Research Grant Award, and a UNC Junior Faculty Development Award. Shortly after the Business Horizons’ announcement, another paper by Jarrahi was named a finalist for the iConference 2019 Lee Dirks Award for Best Paper.