Give us a hand, mate! A holistic review of research on human-machine teaming.

Abstract

Defence has a significant interest in the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies to address some of the challenges it faces. At the core of future military advantage will be the effective integration of humans and AI into human-machine teams (HMT) that leverages the capabilities of people and technologies to outperform adversaries. Realising the full potential of these technologies will depend on understanding the relative strengths of humans and machines, and how we design effective integration to optimise performance and resilience across all use cases and environments.Since the first robot appeared on the assembly line, machines have effectively augmented human capability and performance; however, they fall short of being a team member-someone you can ask to give you a hand! Working in teams involves collaboration, adaptive and dynamic interactions between team members to achieve a common goal. Currently, human-machine partnership is typically one of humans and machines working alongside each other, with each conducting discrete functions within predicable process and environments. However, with recent advances in neuroscience and AI, we can now envisage the possibility of HMT, not just in physical applications, but also complex cognitive tasks.This paper provides a holistic review of the research conducted in the field of HMT from experts working in this area. It summarises completed and ongoing studies and research in the UK and USA by a broad group of researchers. This work was presented in the HMT thematic session at the Sixth International Congress on Soldiers' Physical Performance (ICSPP23 London).