Mirroring in AI Design: Challenges and Organizational Impacts
Juliana Sanchez Ramirez, Lauren Waardenburg, Kristof Coussement, Arno De Caigny, Dries F. Benoit · Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025
As organizations increasingly adopt AI-driven systems, understanding the alignment of technological and organizational designs is essential for assessing AI's impact on business structures. This paper presents research on the relationship between these designs, based on a longitudinal study of an AI system for customer retention at a European B2B software provider. Through interviews with end-users and stakeholders, we examined both the practical use and reflective insights from designers and organizational experts on its development. Framed by the “mirroring hypothesis,” our study reveals that a narrow focus on organizational and product design misses the complex dynamics of AI development. We explore how mirroring unfolds across phases, influenced by diverse stakeholders whose involvement shapes modularity and integration. AI development, as a co-creation process, is not neutral; it actively determines what is mirrored, emphasizing the complex, cumulative nature of mirroring in AI contexts.