Control and Trust Dynamics in the Age of AI and Big Data

This symposium highlights the transformative interplay between control and trust dynamics in the age of AI and Big Data by integrating insights across macro, meso, and micro levels of analysis. Juxtaposing these insights in the discussion facilitated by Sim Sitkin, the symposium reveals a comprehensive understanding of how technological advancements redefine control and trust dynamics inherent in managerial practices, organizational structures, and broader societal governance. On a more macro level, Paul Adler examines how societal governance structures influence the trajectory of AI development, that is how governments and societal collectives engage with and control AI development to maximize benefits and mitigate risks, providing insights into the intersection of societal control, trust, and technological evolution. At the organizational level, Markus Kreutzer and Jorge Walter focus on algorithmic supervision and human-AI teams (HATs), exploring how these configurations influence control-trust dynamics within modern organizations and, thus, provide a detailed understanding of how AI-enabled controls shape trust among those being controlled and those implementing the controls. On the more meso/micro-level Mareike Möhlmann and colleagues adopt a grounded theory approach on how YouTube as a platform organization controls conflicts (e.g., freedom of speech, content diversity, and safety) while fostering trust and performance through human-machine collaboration. Finally, Kirsimarja Blomqvist’s work on fast expert teams addresses the orchestration of trust and control in high-stakes problem-solving, bridging the need for controls with interpersonal and system-based trust cues. By synthesizing these scholarly emphases, the symposium advances a unified perspective on control-trust dynamics in the age of AI and Big Data, uncovering their interconnectedness and implications across societal, organizational, and digital ecosystems.