2026-10-05T21:45:07Z https://drops.dagstuhl.de/oai

oai:drops-oai.dagstuhl.de:27999 2026-10-05T06:44:03Z ddc:004 open_access

How Students Construct Human–AI Boundaries in Software Engineering Teamwork Graßl, Isabella Software Engineering AI Teamwork Collaboration Background. Software engineering is a sociotechnical discipline in which teamwork is central, even as AI tools are integrated into professional and educational practice. While prior research has primarily examined AI as an individual productivity tool, we know little about how software teams position AI within collaboration. Aims. Drawing on boundary work theory, we explore how students integrate AI into project-based software engineering teamwork and how they construct boundaries between AI and human collaboration. Method. We conducted a qualitative multiple-case study across seven software engineering courses, collecting interviews (n = 27) and reflections (n = 89) from 116 students. Results. Students construct explicit human–AI boundaries within software engineering teamwork. They draw complementary boundaries, using AI to support individual preparation and thereby improving the conditions around collaboration, and competitive boundaries, actively excluding AI from interpersonal aspects of teamwork that they reserve for humans, grounded in concerns about accountability, trust, and relational value. We found no evidence in students' accounts that they perceived AI as a co-evolving collaborative partner. Conclusions. We argue that students actively construct AI as infrastructural support rather than as a social collaborator, thereby preserving human responsibility, empathy, and trust within software engineering teamwork. These findings contribute to emerging discussions on human–AI collaboration and the evolving role of software engineers in this era. Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik Isabella Graßl 2026 Is Part Of LIPIcs, Volume 394, 20th International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM 2026) InProceedings Text doc-type:ResearchArticle publishedVersion application/pdf doi:10.4230/LIPIcs.ESEM.2026.31 urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-279994 https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ESEM.2026.31 eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode