The Emergence of Generative AI Platforms: The Changing Role of Complementors in Educational Practices

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) systems empower platforms to dynamically create, optimize and adapt content promising to create novel benefits for platform’s viability. However, we know little about how the integration of GenAI into digital platforms redefines complementors’ role as a result of GenAI autonomously generating content which was previously exclusively performed by complementors. To understand how platforms can manage the changing role of complementors in response to AI generated content, we draw from an in-depth qualitative study of a digital learning platform. By using a boundary work lens, our empirical case allows us to explore which tension arises between platform complementors and GenAI, and how the platform provider engages in different practices to manage the changing role of complementors to ensure the platform’s viability. Our study aims to contribute to the literature on GenAI and digital platforms.