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Nature Human Behaviour
When combinations of humans and AI are useful: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Research summary
This preregistered synthesis of 106 experiments and 370 effect sizes found that human-AI combinations underperformed the better standalone agent on average. Outcomes varied materially by task, with losses in decisions and gains in content creation.
Evidence strengths
- Preregistered systematic review
- 106 experimental studies and 370 effect sizes
- Explicit comparison of human, AI, and combined performance
Limitations
- Possible publication bias
- Substantial variation among included study designs
Topics
- Human-AI Interaction
- Artificial Intelligence
- Social Intelligence
Connected claims
- Qualifies
Human-AI collaboration does not reliably outperform the better standalone human or AI; results depend strongly on the task and interaction design.
Across 106 experiments, combinations were worse than the better standalone agent on average, with task type explaining important variation.