Structuring Human-AI Productive Interdependence by Strategic Level of Automation Selection for Qualitative Inquiry

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Zhou, Feng, Meijer-Irons, Jacqueline, Murillo, Ambar
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Zhou, Feng
Meijer-Irons, Jacqueline
Murillo, Ambar
author_facet Zhou, Feng
Meijer-Irons, Jacqueline
Murillo, Ambar
contents While Large Language Models (LLMs) offer a solution to the scale-versus-depth dilemma in qualitative analysis, the paradigm of maximizing automation is fundamentally at odds with the interpretive nature of qualitative inquiry. We argue that effective Human-AI collaboration is not an automation problem, but an interdependence problem. This paper reframes the design of "co-data" systems through the lens of Interdependence Theory, proposing a formal framework to structure human-AI productive interdependence. The framework guides the selection of an appropriate Level of Automation (LoA) for different stages of the qualitative analysis process by assessing task risk and the cost of validation. We present a case study where this framework led to a deliberately interdependent workflow, fostering the calibrated trust necessary for rigorous analysis. We conclude by presenting three design principles that instantiate this framework, demonstrating how to leverage AI as a powerful partner while preserving the human researcher's irreplaceable role in the transformation process of meaning-making.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_27634
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Structuring Human-AI Productive Interdependence by Strategic Level of Automation Selection for Qualitative Inquiry
Zhou, Feng
Meijer-Irons, Jacqueline
Murillo, Ambar
Human-Computer Interaction
While Large Language Models (LLMs) offer a solution to the scale-versus-depth dilemma in qualitative analysis, the paradigm of maximizing automation is fundamentally at odds with the interpretive nature of qualitative inquiry. We argue that effective Human-AI collaboration is not an automation problem, but an interdependence problem. This paper reframes the design of "co-data" systems through the lens of Interdependence Theory, proposing a formal framework to structure human-AI productive interdependence. The framework guides the selection of an appropriate Level of Automation (LoA) for different stages of the qualitative analysis process by assessing task risk and the cost of validation. We present a case study where this framework led to a deliberately interdependent workflow, fostering the calibrated trust necessary for rigorous analysis. We conclude by presenting three design principles that instantiate this framework, demonstrating how to leverage AI as a powerful partner while preserving the human researcher's irreplaceable role in the transformation process of meaning-making.
title Structuring Human-AI Productive Interdependence by Strategic Level of Automation Selection for Qualitative Inquiry
topic Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.27634