Vol. 3 No. 1 (2028): AI, Workforce Learning, and Educational Transformation
Articles

Integrating AI and people: A sociotechnical approach to overcoming the productivity paradox

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  • William Rothwell
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46787/ijaipil.v3i1.7496

Published 2026-05-21

Keywords

  • Sociotechnical systems; productivity paradox; work processes; employee engagement

How to Cite

Rothwell, W. (2026). Integrating AI and people: A sociotechnical approach to overcoming the productivity paradox. International Journal of AI in Pedagogy, Innovation, and Learning Futures, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.46787/ijaipil.v3i1.7496

Copyright (c) 2026 William J. Rothwell

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Organizations across nearly every sector of the economy are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to improve decision making, automate routine tasks, enhance responsiveness, and increase productivity. The growing availability of generative AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation systems has accelerated organizational interest in digitally transforming work processes. Despite these investments, many organizations continue to struggle to achieve the productivity gains, innovation, and employee performance improvements often associated with AI adoption (Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2014). This article argues that these challenges occur because AI implementation is frequently approached as a technology initiative rather than a holistic redesign of organizational work systems. Drawing on sociotechnical systems theory, organization development research, and contemporary scholarship on AI-enabled transformation, the article presents a seven-step framework for aligning AI implementation with high-performance workplace design. A fictitious school-system case study illustrates how organizations can integrate AI while supporting collaboration, professional judgment, employee engagement, and long-term organizational effectiveness.

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