To read this content please select one of the options below:

Uncovering the mechanisms of common ground in human–agent interaction: review and future directions for conversational agent research

Antonia Tolzin (Research Center for Information System Design (ITeG), University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany)
Andreas Janson (Institute of Information Systems and Digital Business, University of St Gallen, St Gallen, Switzerland)

Internet Research

ISSN: 1066-2243

Article publication date: 20 January 2025

38

Abstract

Purpose

Human–agent interaction (HAI) is increasingly influencing our personal and work lives through the proliferation of conversational agents (CAs) in various domains. As such, these agents combine intuitive natural language interactions by also delivering personalization through artificial intelligence capabilities. However, research on CAs as well as practical failures indicates that CA interaction oftentimes fails miserably. To reduce these failures, this paper introduces the concept of building common ground for more successful HAIs.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a systematic literature analysis, we identified 38 articles meeting the eligibility criteria. We critically reviewed this body of knowledge within a formal narrative synthesis structured around the use of common ground in the interaction with CAs.

Findings

Based on the systematic review, our analysis reveals five mechanisms for achieving common ground: embodiment, social features, joint action, knowledge base and mental model of conversational agent. We point out the relationships between these mechanisms as they are related to each other in directional and bidirectional ways.

Research limitations/implications

Our findings contribute to theory with several implications for CA research. First, we provide implications about the organization of common ground mechanisms for CAs. Second, we provide insights into the mechanisms and nomological network for achieving common ground when interacting with CAs. Third, we provide a broad research agenda for future CA research that centers around the important topic of common ground for HAI.

Originality/value

We offer novel insights into grounding mechanisms and highlight the potentials when considering common ground in different HAI processes. Consequently, we secure further understanding and deeper insights of possible mechanisms of common ground to shape future HAI processes.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The results presented were partially developed in the research projects: Komp-HI funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, grant 16DHBKI073), and Managing the Algorithm: Prompt Engineering for AI-based Systems as an Emerging Business Skill by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, grant number: 221281). We thank the BMBF and SNSF for supporting our research. Furthermore, this research builds on the paper “Mechanisms of Common Ground in Human-Agent Interaction: A Systematic Review of Conversational Agent Research” that has been presented at Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), 2023, in Maui authored by Tolzin and Janson (2023). We thank the reviewers and attendees for their valuable feedback, which helped us improve our research and write this paper. Finally, we thank the Associate Editor for his guidance and the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback and openness during the review process.

Citation

Tolzin, A. and Janson, A. (2025), "Uncovering the mechanisms of common ground in human–agent interaction: review and future directions for conversational agent research", Internet Research, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-06-2023-0514

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles