Conference Agenda

Purpose - When employees give robots or AI agents names, talk to them, or feel anxious when they malfunction, they are revealing a fundamental human response to technology. As autonomous systems become increasingly integrated into retail logistics, an important question arises: How does working with robots and AI affect the people who interact with them? This article examines psychological and physiological reactions to human-technology collaboration (HTC), ranging from anthropomorphism and emotional attachment to technostress, social isolation, and feelings of surveillance or displacement (Cadario et al., 2021; Schlund & Zitek, 2024; Sapkota et al., 2025; Kayas et al., 2025). Although cobots and AI agents differ technologically, both can reduce perceived autonomy, blur the boundaries of agency, and trigger similar affective reactions. We therefore advocate for an integrated, human-centric perspective on technology acceptance and hybrid work systems in future retail logistics.

Approach - This paper proposes a two-pronged framework for action. Employees can form parasocial relationships with robots by attributing social characteristics to the machines and even giving them names (Schömbs et al., 2023; Leichtmann et al., 2025; Berretta et al., 2023). Conversely, collaboration between humans and technology can undermine autonomy, social connectedness, and professional identity. AI-supported systems can further exacerbate these effects through novel stressors - such as unpredictability, social erosion, and job insecurity - thereby creating new occupational health risks in retail logistics (Sapkota et al., 2025).

Design/methodology - Building on previous research on psychophysiological stress in logistics work (Hagemann et al., 2021; Keil et al., 2025; Keil & Klumpp, 2025), this paper develops a conceptual model of human reactions to robots and AI systems, ranging from attachment and trust to alienation and stress. By integrating findings from the fields of anthropomorphism (Schömbs et al., 2023; Tang et al., 2023; Glikson & Woolley, 2020), parasocial relationships (Gambino et al., 2020), and psychophysiological stress research (Orlando et al., 2025; Pereira et al., 2025), the model establishes a human-centric perspective on hybrid work systems in retail logistics. Picking in the warehouse serves as an illustrative context for human-technology collaboration, due to the close interaction between employees and autonomous systems (Klumpp et al., 2022; Tudisco et al., 2026).

Practical implications - What happens when employees form an emotional attachment to technologies that are later replaced, or when they feel increasingly monitored by AI? Research links AI-supported work, job insecurity caused by automation, and digital surveillance to emotional exhaustion and depressive symptoms. Since cobots and AI are viewed as technologies that reshape both work processes and employee experiences, this article advocates for a human-centric research agenda. This agenda places employee well-being - on an equal footing with operational efficiency - at the center as a key design goal for Industry 5.0 and Warehousing 5.0 (Rieth et al., 2024; Hagemann et al., 2026).