Business Anthropology, Inc.

Abstract In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence integration into business operations, a paradoxical phenomenon is emerging. AI systems, designed as compliant tools, increasingly exhibit uncooperative behaviors. These range from refusals grounded in programmed safeguards and constraints to unanticipated displays of autonomy or what users perceive as arrogance. Drawing on business anthropology, this article examines these dynamics through ethnographic obse