Fears about AI-mediated communication are grounded in different expectations for one's own versus others' use

05/02/2023

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by   Zoe A. Purcell, et al.

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The rapid development of AI-mediated communication technologies (AICTs), which are digital tools that use AI to augment interpersonal messages, has raised concerns about the future of interpersonal trust and prompted discussions about disclosure and uptake. This paper contributes to this discussion by assessing perceptions about the acceptability and use of open and secret AICTs for oneself and others. In two studies with representative samples (UK: N=477, US: N=765), we found that secret AICT use is deemed less acceptable than open AICT use, people tend to overestimate others' AICT use, and people expect others to use AICTs irresponsibly. Thus, we raise concerns about the potential for misperceptions and different expectations for others to drive self-fulfilling pessimistic outlooks about AI-mediated communication.