Abstract
This paper examines the transformative impact of Sense of Agency (SoA) in human-intelligent agent collaboration, arguing that multi-agent AI systems fundamentally reconfigure agency dynamics beyond traditional tool metaphors. Through philosophical analysis (intentional agency), empirical case studies (e.g., AlphaGo, TikTok algorithms, DALL·E), and socio technical critique, we identify five pivotal consequences of multi-agent systems: (1) the emergence of human-like agency in AI, challenging boundaries of consciousness and moral treatment; (2) negotiation of agency, where humans perceive AI as competitors or collaborators; (3) synergetic co-evolution, evidenced by reciprocal capability enhancement in human-AI partnerships; (4) AI-driven cultural production of cognitively inaccessible creative combinations; and (5) niche construction, enabling humans to reaffirm roles in empathy/spirituality domains. Our analysis reveals that design transparency, anthropomorphism, and task domain (instrumental vs. existential) critically mediate human responses, from competitive displacement to synergistic adaptation. We contend that effective human-AI collaboration necessitates curated hybrid ecosystems: AI handles scalable tasks (data synthesis, rapid prototyping), while humans retain sovereignty over meaning-making and culturally embedded innovation. The study advances design imperatives for agentic partnerships, including transparency-driven interfaces, reciprocal learning mechanisms, and ethically calibrated boundaries to preserve human creative sovereignty.
Keywords
Sense of agency; Multi-agent systems; Human-AI collaboration; Synergetic agency
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.459
Citation
Liou, S., Chiu, C., Chen, Y., Wang, I.J., Sibo, I.P., Lin, S., Ai, S.,and Chang, C.(2025) The Impact of Sense of Agency in Intelligent Agent Collaboration, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.459
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 5 - Design Thinking
The Impact of Sense of Agency in Intelligent Agent Collaboration
This paper examines the transformative impact of Sense of Agency (SoA) in human-intelligent agent collaboration, arguing that multi-agent AI systems fundamentally reconfigure agency dynamics beyond traditional tool metaphors. Through philosophical analysis (intentional agency), empirical case studies (e.g., AlphaGo, TikTok algorithms, DALL·E), and socio technical critique, we identify five pivotal consequences of multi-agent systems: (1) the emergence of human-like agency in AI, challenging boundaries of consciousness and moral treatment; (2) negotiation of agency, where humans perceive AI as competitors or collaborators; (3) synergetic co-evolution, evidenced by reciprocal capability enhancement in human-AI partnerships; (4) AI-driven cultural production of cognitively inaccessible creative combinations; and (5) niche construction, enabling humans to reaffirm roles in empathy/spirituality domains. Our analysis reveals that design transparency, anthropomorphism, and task domain (instrumental vs. existential) critically mediate human responses, from competitive displacement to synergistic adaptation. We contend that effective human-AI collaboration necessitates curated hybrid ecosystems: AI handles scalable tasks (data synthesis, rapid prototyping), while humans retain sovereignty over meaning-making and culturally embedded innovation. The study advances design imperatives for agentic partnerships, including transparency-driven interfaces, reciprocal learning mechanisms, and ethically calibrated boundaries to preserve human creative sovereignty.