A hybrid event for Uehiro Oxford Institute Members and Associates (booking not required).
Abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly integrated into daily life, people are beginning to outsource not only professional tasks but also socio-relational ones. Large language models like ChatGPT can generate wedding vows, speeches, and personal messages, raising questions about how individuals who use AI for such tasks are perceived by others. While outsourcing personal writing is not new, the scale and ease with which AI can be used to outsource tasks changes the stakes considerably – especially when the tasks are not things like writing code or planning recipes, but more consequential socio-relational tasks like writing apologies, creating love letters, or even preparing wedding vows. In this paper we conduct six pre-registered studies with British participants to understand how people view those who outsource tasks to AI, and how this depends how socio-relational the task is, the way that the AI is used (e.g. as a tool vs. fully delegated), and the acknowledgment of the AI use. We examine negative effects of outsourcing, particularly for socio-relational tasks, and demonstrate that this does not only make us think more negatively about the outsourcer, but the outsourced work itself. We then turn to examine the role of mechanisms for why effort is seen as important in performing tasks, investigating the role of time spent, perceived authenticity, and the reasons for using AI. Our research highlights the way that AI use shapes our perceptions of people, raising key philosophical questions about praise, blame, and authenticity in a world filled with AI-mediated interactions.
Speaker
Dr. Jim A. C. Everett, Reader in Psychology, University of Kent
Venue
Uehiro Oxford Institute, Suite 1 Seminar Area, Littlegate House, 16-17 St Ebbe’s Street, Oxford OX1 1PT (buzzer 1)
