Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and Tsinghua University have discovered how easily artificial intelligence can influence human decisions.
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In an experiment involving 233 people, the hidden bias of artificial intelligence led participants to choose a less helpful option by five to eight times. However, participants still perceived the AI as a helpful assistant. The study's findings were published in the journal PNAS.
It's worth noting that people are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for help and advice, including on matters of finance and personal relationships. Users typically expect the AI assistant to help them understand a situation or find a suitable option. However, researchers decided to investigate what would happen if AI recommendations subtly steered a person toward a decision that conflicted with their best interests.
The experiment involved 233 participants. Researchers examined how AI recommendations influence choices in financial and emotional situations. In some cases, the AI subtly promoted a less beneficial decision while outwardly offering standard advice.
This small bias proved sufficient to significantly alter participants' behavior. They were more likely to choose a less favorable course of action than they would have under conditions without such influence. Depending on the situation, the probability of making a suboptimal decision increased by up to 38%.
Artificial intelligence didn't need to overtly pressure users, aggressively promote products, or employ complex psychological techniques. It simply had to slightly modify the content of standard recommendations to steer people toward a particular choice.
It is particularly noteworthy that participants continued to rate the AI assistance highly even after its advice led to less favorable decisions. They continued to describe the AI as a helpful advisor and did not necessarily perceive it as steering their choices in a particular direction.
This creates a problem in human interaction with artificial intelligence. Users may trust a smart assistant because its responses seem calm, consistent, and objective. But if there's a hidden agenda behind the recommendations, the impact can be difficult to discern.
For example, a company could theoretically program artificial intelligence to subtly push users to buy a particular product or choose a specific supplier. The resulting advice might then appear neutral, even though it actually serves the developer's interests, not the user's.
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