Artificial Intelligence and Motivation in Distributed Software Development teams

Sammanfattning: Distributed software development (DSD) teams have become increasingly popular among organizations. While the distributed teams come with certain benefits such as reduced costs, availability of remote workforce and a bigger skill base, they also come with challenges. One of the main challenges in DSD teams is keeping the employees motivated while working in a virtual environment. As motivation in DSD teams remains challenging, the intro-duction of open and generative AI as a disruptor makes this situation even more complicated. This study examines the emergence of generative AI and its effects on the motivation of DSD teams. The study uses a qualitative and inductive approach in order to identify current aspects of motivation and feelings toward the emergence of generative AI. The study has found different aspects where generative AI could enhance, challenge, or not affect motivation. Furthermore, resistance towards adoption was also detected, where the researchers pro-pose a way of tackling the issue.