Collaborative Document Editing with Multiple Users and AI Agents

Title data

Lehmann, Florian ; Shauchenka, Krystsina ; Buschek, Daniel:
Collaborative Document Editing with Multiple Users and AI Agents.
In: Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. - New York, NY : Association for Computing Machinery , 2026 . - 58
ISBN 9798400722783
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790648

Project information

Abstract in another language

Current AI writing support tools are largely designed for individuals, complicating collaboration when co-writers must leave the shared workspace to use AI and then communicate and reintegrate results. We propose integrating AI agents directly into collaborative writing environments. Our prototype makes AI use visible to all users through two new shared objects: user-defined agent profiles and tasks. Agent responses appear in the familiar comment feature. In a user study (N=30), 14 teams worked on writing projects during one week. Interaction logs and interviews show that teams incorporated agents into existing norms of authorship, control, and coordination, rather than treating them as team members. Agent profiles were viewed as personal territory, while created agents and outputs became shared resources. We discuss implications for team-based AI interaction, highlighting opportunities and boundaries for treating AI as a shared resource in collaborative work.