Can AI Be a Teammate? Harvard Says Yes—And We See It Every Day with Luci
In a Harvard study with 776 professionals, teams that combined humans and AI were nearly three times more likely to produce top-tier solutions.
A new Harvard study just answered a question we ask at Lucinity every day: Can AI be more than a tool? Can it be a real teammate?
Not just a search bar or task runner. A thinking partner. One that helps you perform better, think deeper, and feel less burned out.
Turns out, the answer is yes. And the data backs it up.
What Happens When AI Joins the Team? Harvard Found Out
Harvard ran a field experiment with 776 professionals at Procter & Gamble, aiming to understand how generative AI affects collaboration, expertise, and emotional engagement.
This wasn’t some isolated lab test. Participants tackled real product development problems that mattered to their business units. These were challenges that usually require messy, political, and time-consuming cross-functional teamwork.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of four setups:
- Individuals working alone, no AI
- Human teams, no AI
- Individuals working with AI
- Human teams working with AI
Here’s what they found:
- Individuals with AI performed as well as full human teams without AI. That’s not a small thing. It means AI can actually replace part of the collaborative lift a human teammate provides.
- AI erased functional silos. R&D professionals started thinking like marketers. Commercial folks started proposing technical solutions. AI helped them think differently, not just work faster.
- People using AI felt more excited and less frustrated. The emotional lift was clear. That matters in high-cognitive-load environments.
But the kicker?
When humans and AI worked together, they were nearly three times more likely to generate a top 10% solution.
AI alone helped. Teams alone helped. But combining both delivered the most exceptional outcomes.
This wasn’t about replacing teamwork. It was about enhancing it. With the right AI, people didn’t just move faster. They worked smarter—and felt better doing it.
(Read the full study here: The Cybernetic Teammate – Harvard Business School)
What This Means for Luci
We didn’t need Harvard to tell us this, but it’s great validation.
What stood out in the Harvard study wasn’t just performance—it was how people felt more connected and empowered when working alongside AI. That mirrors what we’ve seen with Luci.
When analysts investigate cases with Luci, it doesn’t feel like using a tool. It feels like working with someone. Whether it’s through the Luci Copilot guiding a complex alert, or the Luci Agent taking on repeatable cases autonomously, the relationship is collaborative, not transactional.
In practice, Luci helps analysts think through their cases. It nudges, suggests, summarizes, and questions—just like a sharp teammate would. It helps teams align around better outcomes, while reducing the burden of repetitive work. And it does it without taking over or getting in the way.
The connection between analyst, AI, and team is what makes the work stronger—and more human. That’s the real shift.
The result? Faster case resolution, better decisions, and analysts who aren’t mentally drained after every alert. We’ve seen Luci elevate junior analysts to perform like seniors. We’ve watched cross-functional teams collaborate better when Luci flattens the knowledge curve.
The Harvard study confirmed something we’ve known from the start: Generative AI isn't just about productivity. It's about performance, expertise, and emotional engagement. It's about making work better, not just faster.
So What?
This isn’t about replacing humans. It’s about redefining what humans can do with the right AI.
If you're leading an investigation team, onboarding new analysts, or just trying to keep your head above water with the rising tide of alerts—you don’t need another tool.
You need a teammate.
Luci is that teammate.
And now, we’ve got Harvard to back us up.
Check Luci out here: https://lucinity.com/luci
