  How does the presence of an AI assistant affect the collective attention of a
team? We study 20 human teams of 3-4 individuals paired with one voice-only AI
assistant during a challenging puzzle task. Teams are randomly assigned to an
AI assistant with a human- or robotic-sounding voice that provides either
helpful or misleading information about the task. Treating each individual AI
interjection as a treatment intervention, we identify the causal effects of the
AI on dynamic group processes involving language use. Our findings demonstrate
that the AI significantly affects what teams discuss, how they discuss it, and
the alignment of their mental models. Teams adopt AI-introduced language for
both terms directly related to the task and for peripheral terms, even when
they (a) recognize the unhelpful nature of the AI, (b) do not consider the AI a
genuine team member, and (c) do not trust the AI. The process of language
adaptation appears to be automatic, despite doubts about the AI's competence.
The presence of an AI assistant significantly impacts team collective attention
by modulating various aspects of shared cognition. This study contributes to
human-AI teaming research by highlighting collective attention as a central
mechanism through which AI systems in team settings influence team performance.
Understanding this mechanism will help CSCW researchers design AI systems that
enhance team collective intelligence by optimizing collective attention.
