Refers to the process by which previously defined job roles, responsibilities, work processes, or organizational structures become unclear, fluid, or subject to reinterpretation due to ongoing technological, organizational, economic, or workplace changes.

The term is increasingly used in discussions about artificial intelligence (AI), automation, digital transformation, agentic AI systems, and new models of work in which traditional job boundaries are constantly being reshaped. Unlike role ambiguity, which typically describes uncertainty within an existing role, re-ambiguation emphasizes the repeated disruption and redefinition of roles after they have already been established.

Examples of re-ambiguation include:

• employees assuming responsibilities previously assigned to other departments
• AI systems performing portions of professional work once associated with specific occupations
• workers managing teams of AI agents
• organizations replacing traditional hierarchical reporting structures and organizational charts with project-based or cross-functional teams
• evolving expectations about who owns decisions, information, or outcomes.

Researchers and workplace analysts have noted that persistent uncertainty about roles and responsibilities can contribute to worker stress, reduced job satisfaction, and organizational inefficiency. In AI-enabled workplaces, re-ambiguation may become a recurring condition as technologies continuously reshape how work is organized and performed.