Paper #81: Toward User-Orchestrated Human–Multi-Agent Teams for Co-Creation

The use of technology to support human creativity now extends to multi-agent systems (MAS), in which multiple specialized agents contribute distinct functions to a shared creative process. MAS offer new possibilities for co-creation, yet many current systems remain oriented toward autonomous task execution, with humans positioned as prompters or evaluators rather than active members of the creative team. In this short position paper, we argue that creative co-creation calls instead for user-orchestrated Human--Multi-Agent Teams (HMATs), teams in which humans participate alongside multiple agents while retaining the ability to keep the team aligned with the evolving purposes of the work. Drawing on our previous empirical study of how design practitioners form and operate such teams, we develop this position and sketch a three-layer research agenda spanning team formation, interaction design, and agent capabilities. More broadly, we suggest that progress on user-orchestrated HMATs will require both AI/ML research dedicated to these challenges and sustained collaboration between the AI/ML and HCI communities.