Abstract

Driven by insufficient empirical research and understanding about AI deployment in operations management, we set out to explore the implications of AI on field service operations. Via an in-depth case study of four AI initiatives across a time span of 20 years at BT telecommunications, we explored the answers to the following two research questions (RQs): RQ1: How has the deployment of artificial agents affected the operational efficiency of the organisation? And RQ2: What are the critical success factors (CSFs) of AI deployment? Our study found that having a standard TRL protocol, a people-centric approach, as well as establishing a portfolio of AI initiatives are instrumental to BT’s success. We also identified a range of other CSFs that were essential to the successful deployment of AI in BT’s field service operations. This paper therefore contributes to the timely and emerging sociotechnical debates around the real-world implications of AI deployment within organisations.

摘要

在缺乏足够的经验研究和对运营管理中AI部署的理解的驱动下，我们着手探讨AI对现场服务运营的影响。通过在BT电信20年的时间里对四个AI计划进行的深入案例研究，我们探索了以下两个研究问题（RQ）的答案：RQ1：人工代理的部署如何影响企业的运营效率该组织？RQ2：人工智能部署的关键成功因素（CSF）是什么？我们的研究发现，拥有标准的TRL协议，以人为本的方法以及建立一系列AI举措对BT的成功至关重要。我们还确定了一系列其他CSF，这些BSF对于在BT的现场服务运营中成功部署AI至关重要。