This paper reimagines the digital workplace beyond automation, conceptualising artificial intelligence (AI) as a collaborative, socio-technical actor that shapes human capability, organisational design, and governance. Drawing from literature in human–AI collaboration, sociotechnical systems, and design science research, the paper develops a four-dimensional conceptual framework: (1) Task Ecology, (2) Interaction Infrastructure, (3) Governance & Ethics, and (4) Capability Pathways. It offers testable propositions and a research agenda grounded in emerging AI-augmented methodologies. AI’s workplace impact depends on the alignment between human–machine complementarities, transparent interaction infrastructures, robust ethical governance, and adaptive learning ecosystems. Managers must treat AI as a system of collaboration, not substitution. The paper proposes strategic, operational, and human-resource guidelines for building human-centred digital workplaces that ensure trust, equity, and innovation. The study integrates disparate literatures into a unified conceptual model and provides methodological pathways to study AI as both an object and instrument of research