Factors influencing the adoption and use of intelligent systems in professional service organizations

The authors present some initial ideas and results from a research program on factors influencing the professional usage of intelligent systems in service organizations. The following issues are examined. What are the intellectual components of the professional´s job? What are the organizational, environmental, and other factors which influence the rate and ease of implementation or application of new intelligent systems? How might intelligent machines or assistants be effectively used in the activities of professionals and their organizations? The research design involves in-depth interviews with a sample of professionals in six professional groups: physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, systems analysts, and financial analysts. The interviews were designed to elicit data on their job-related intellectual processes and the potential contributions of intelligent systems to them. The authors provide illustrative propositions derived from the interviews and examples of some potential intelligent machines or intelligent assistants for use by professionals