It was(n’t) me: vignette experiments on managers’ responsibility attribution in AI-advised decision-making

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in managerial decision-making in organisations raises questions regarding responsibilities. We explore how managers attribute responsibility in joint decision-making scenarios where they receive advice from either AI agents or human consultants. Our empirical approach combines a mixed-design vignette study, providing insights into managers’ responsibility attribution, with qualitative data on manager perceptions of AI agent capabilities. This approach enhances our understanding of how managers attribute responsibility in joint decision-making processes involving AI agents. Our findings highlight that manager perceptions of AI agent agency are not in harmony with how managers attribute responsibility when there are negative consequences. This gap between managers being responsible and assuming responsibility is critical to understand given that managers are perceived to be responsible and that their decisions greatly affect individuals. This work also presents three propositions to guide future research in understanding the discrepancies between managers being and feeling responsible.