Managing Ambiguity: A Proof of Concept of Human-AI Symbiotic Sense-making based on Quantum-Inspired Cognitive Mechanism of Rogue Variable Detection
Organizations increasingly operate in environments characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), where early indicators of change often emerge as weak, fragmented signals. Although artificial intelligence (AI) is widely used to support managerial decision-making, most AI-based systems remain optimized for prediction and resolution, leading to premature interpretive closure under conditions of high ambiguity. This creates a gap in management science regarding how human-AI systems can responsibly manage ambiguity before it crystallizes into error or crisis. This study addresses this gap by presenting a proof of concept (PoC) of the LAIZA human-AI augmented symbiotic intelligence system and its patented process: Systems and Methods for Quantum-Inspired Rogue Variable Modeling (QRVM), Human-in-the-Loop Decoherence, and Collective Cognitive Inference. The mechanism operationalizes ambiguity as a non-collapsed cognitive state, detects persistent interpretive breakdowns (rogue variables), and activates structured human-in-the-loop clarification when autonomous inference becomes unreliable. Empirically, the article draws on a three-month case study conducted in 2025 within the AI development, involving prolonged ambiguity surrounding employee intentions and intellectual property boundaries. The findings show that preserving interpretive plurality enabled early scenario-based preparation, including proactive patent protection, allowing decisive and disruption-free action once ambiguity collapsed. The study contributes to management theory by reframing ambiguity as a first-class construct and demonstrates the practical value of human-AI symbiosis for organizational resilience in VUCA environments.