Introducing a new method to assess the productivity of human-AI collaboration

Artificial intelligence (AI) has reached an inflection point where agentic AI – autonomous systems that dynamically adapt to human workflows – is both a promise and a reality. These systems are set to transform industries by enabling humans to focus on creativity, strategy and decision-making while entrusting repetitive and resource-intensive tasks to AI. However, this paradigm shift prompts a crucial question: how do we assess success in human-AI collaboration?

The Human AI Augmentation Index (HAI Index) addresses this question by providing a comprehensive framework for evaluating how AI enhances human productivity, creativity, and decision-making. Unlike traditional AI metrics that focus on automation, the HAI Index prioritises augmentation. It ensures that AI complements human capabilities, fostering innovation and generating measurable economic and social value. For startups, enterprises and policymakers, this framework optimises collaboration and unlocks the full potential of AI. By balancing simplicity and impact, the Index allows organisations to collect meaningful data with minimal overhead, demonstrating tangible value to stakeholders. 

The evolution beyond automation

AI implementation has revealed a crucial insight: while automation excels at handling repetitive tasks, it struggles with nuanced, creative complex work. This limitation has sparked a fundamental shift in how organisations approach AI integration. Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for human workers, leading organisations recognise its potential as a collaborative partner enhancing human capabilities.

The Human-AI Augmentation Matrix serves as a strategic guide for organisations, mapping the optimal distribution of tasks between humans and AI based on two fundamental dimensions: task complexity and required human judgment. This task-centric approach, rather than focusing solely on AI system capabilities, provides a practical framework for understanding effective human-AI collaboration.

The matrix illustrates four key zones of collaboration, each representing different balances of human and AI capabilities:

• Autonomous collaboration refers to tasks with low complexity and minimal human judgment requirements that achieve maximum efficiency through complete automation. These processes involve high-volume, standardised workflows where AI operates independently, optimising efficiency and scalability.
• Structured human oversight applies to tasks that, while relatively straightforward, still require significant human judgment. AI enhances these processes by improving speed, accuracy, and consistency, but human oversight remains essential for validation and control.
• AI-led analysis covers complex data processing and algorithmic decision-making, where AI handles heavy workloads, identifies patterns and generates insights. Humans oversee the outcomes, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and addressing anomalies when necessary.
• Autonomous collaboration refers to tasks with low complexity and minimal human judgment requirements that achieve maximum efficiency through complete automation. These processes involve high-volume, standardised workflows where AI operates independently, optimising efficiency and scalability.

Understanding context and evolution

While this framework provides clear categorisations, successful implementation requires understanding that tasks exist within broader operational contexts. What appears to be a simple automation candidate might require more nuanced human oversight when considered as part of critical business processes. Organisations must evaluate tasks not in isolation, but as components of larger operational systems. This includes considering how tasks aggregate within job functions and departments, ensuring that optimising individual tasks doesn’t come at the expense of overall system efficiency. Some tasks may be automated completely, others eliminated through AI-enabled workflow redesign, while many will find optimal value through human-AI collaboration.

It is also important to note that the framework is inherently dynamic, with tasks evolving alongside AI capabilities and human expertise. A process might start in ‘AI-led analysis’ but shift toward ‘strategic collaboration’ as teams develop more sophisticated ways of working together. This evolution isn’t just technological – it reflects the ongoing optimisation of human-AI workflows and organisational processes.

Industry context significantly influences implementation. While the framework’s principles are universal, their application varies across sectors. Healthcare applications might prioritise accuracy and accountability, while creative industries might focus on enhancing human innovation and ideation.

This approach to human-AI collaboration offers three distinct benefits: it fosters innovation by allowing humans to concentrate on complex, creative challenges; it encourages ethical AI adoption by preserving and enhancing human roles; and it generates sustainable value through the complementary strengths of humans and AI.

While this matrix provides a foundation for understanding task distribution, the HAI Index complements it by measuring these outcomes and impacts, offering organisations a comprehensive framework for implementing and evaluating human-AI collaboration.

What is the Human AI Augmentation Index?

The HAI Index is a new framework designed to measure and evaluate the impact of human-AI collaboration. Moving beyond traditional metrics focused on automation-driven efficiency, the HAI Index highlights augmentation as a means to enhance human capabilities. The Index captures a multidimensional impact of human-AI interaction by integrating quantitative outcomes – such as time savings and decision accuracy – with qualitative effects like reduced cognitive load and improved creativity.

This versatility makes the HAI Index adaptable across industries, offering actionable insights without imposing excessive operational burdens.

The three core metrics

The framework evaluates human-AI collaboration through three essential dimensions:

1. Human performance enhancement: this metric evaluates how AI enhances work quality and efficiency. For instance, in logistics, AI-driven route optimisation decreases delivery delays by 20%, enabling managers to concentrate on strategic priorities. The value exists not only in speed but also in enhancing human decision making.
2. Cognitive load reduction: by simplifying complex tasks, AI enables humans to focus on high-impact work. For example, in customer support, AI tools that handle routine queries free up agents to tackle cases that require empathy and judgment. This shift improves both employee satisfaction and service quality.
3. Task augmentation balance: this assesses how effectively organisations allocate work between humans and AI. Financial analysts, for instance, can depend on AI for data aggregation while applying their expertise to create actionable investment strategies. This complementary approach highlights augmentation’s potential to integrate smoothly with human efforts.

Practical implementation and outputs

Organisations can implement the Index through three phases:

• Baseline assessment: the first phase establishes current benchmarks for productivity, decision accuracy and workflow complexity.
• Ongoing tracking: monthly evaluations assess progress, highlighting improvements in collaboration and pinpointing areas for refinement. Dashboards provide real-time visibility into time allocation and quality enhancement.
• Value demonstration: the final phase analyses pre- and post-implementation data to quantify the impact of AI augmentation. This step allows organisations to convey tangible results to stakeholders, ranging from improved efficiency to increased creativity.

Why the HAI Index is transformative

The HAI Index redefines how organisations assess AI’s impact by emphasising augmentation rather than automation. It challenges traditional narratives that depict AI as a substitute for human effort, framing it instead as a collaborative partner that enhances creativity, decision making and innovation. This paradigm shift aligns with contemporary priorities such as responsible AI adoption and workforce development.

The Index also addresses critical concerns about AI’s societal and ethical implications. By focusing on augmentation, it emphasises the importance of keeping humans central to AI-driven workflows. This alignment fosters trust among stakeholders, making AI implementation both responsible and impactful.

A call to action

The Human AI Augmentation Index is more than a measurement tool – it’s a catalyst for change. It provides answers to essential questions about how humans and AI should work together, while delivering concrete metrics to monitor progress. As industries increasingly incorporate AI into their operations, the necessity for thorough, comprehensive measurement frameworks has never been more critical. The HAI Index encourages organisations to spearhead this transformation, establishing a new standard for responsible and innovative human-AI collaboration.

By adopting the HAI Index, companies can unlock new levels of strategic insight, creativity and efficiency. This framework doesn’t just measure AI’s capabilities – it assesses how AI can empower humans to achieve extraordinary outcomes.

The future of AI isn’t about replacement; it’s about collaboration. The HAI Index and Augmentation Matrix together ensure this future is innovative, responsible and centred on human needs.

This article is a contribution from a member or partner organisation of Friends of Europe.