When Are Combinations of Humans and AI Useful?

People increasingly work with artificial intelligence (AI) tools in fields including medicine, finance, and law, as well as in daily activities such as traveling, shopping, and communicating. These human-AI systems have tremendous potential given the complementary nature of humans and AI - the general intelligence of humans allows us to reason about diverse problems, and the computational power of AI systems allows them to accomplish specific tasks that people find difficult. In fact, a large body of work suggests that integrating human creativity, intuition, and contextual understanding with AI's speed, scalability, and analytical power can lead to innovative solutions and improved decision-making in areas such as healthcare [1], customer service [2], and scientific research [3]. On the other hand, a growing number of studies reveal that human-AI systems do not necessarily achieve better results when compared to the best of humans or AI alone. Challenges such as communication barriers, trust issues, ethical concerns, and the need for effective coordination between humans and AI systems can hinder the collaborative process [4-9]. These seemingly contradictory results raise important questions: When do humans and AI complement each other?