Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interaction
The question of whether artificial intelligence (AI) can be considered conscious and therefore should be evaluated through a moral lens has surfaced in recent years. In this paper, we argue that whether AI is conscious is less of a concern than the fact that AI can be considered conscious by users d...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1322781/full |
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| author | Rose E. Guingrich Rose E. Guingrich Michael S. A. Graziano Michael S. A. Graziano |
| author_facet | Rose E. Guingrich Rose E. Guingrich Michael S. A. Graziano Michael S. A. Graziano |
| author_sort | Rose E. Guingrich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The question of whether artificial intelligence (AI) can be considered conscious and therefore should be evaluated through a moral lens has surfaced in recent years. In this paper, we argue that whether AI is conscious is less of a concern than the fact that AI can be considered conscious by users during human-AI interaction, because this ascription of consciousness can lead to carry-over effects on human-human interaction. When AI is viewed as conscious like a human, then how people treat AI appears to carry over into how they treat other people due to activating schemas that are congruent to those activated during interactions with humans. In light of this potential, we might consider regulating how we treat AI, or how we build AI to evoke certain kinds of treatment from users, but not because AI is inherently sentient. This argument focuses on humanlike, social actor AI such as chatbots, digital voice assistants, and social robots. In the first part of the paper, we provide evidence for carry-over effects between perceptions of AI consciousness and behavior toward humans through literature on human-computer interaction, human-AI interaction, and the psychology of artificial agents. In the second part of the paper, we detail how the mechanism of schema activation can allow us to test consciousness perception as a driver of carry-over effects between human-AI interaction and human-human interaction. In essence, perceiving AI as conscious like a human, thereby activating congruent mind schemas during interaction, is a driver for behaviors and perceptions of AI that can carry over into how we treat humans. Therefore, the fact that people can ascribe humanlike consciousness to AI is worth considering, and moral protection for AI is also worth considering, regardless of AI’s inherent conscious or moral status. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:09:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a4d35c5b2294dc883ecddb60e0d28fb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:09:10Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a4d35c5b2294dc883ecddb60e0d28fb2024-03-28T15:08:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-03-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.13227811322781Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interactionRose E. Guingrich0Rose E. Guingrich1Michael S. A. Graziano2Michael S. A. Graziano3Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United StatesPrinceton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United StatesPrinceton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United StatesThe question of whether artificial intelligence (AI) can be considered conscious and therefore should be evaluated through a moral lens has surfaced in recent years. In this paper, we argue that whether AI is conscious is less of a concern than the fact that AI can be considered conscious by users during human-AI interaction, because this ascription of consciousness can lead to carry-over effects on human-human interaction. When AI is viewed as conscious like a human, then how people treat AI appears to carry over into how they treat other people due to activating schemas that are congruent to those activated during interactions with humans. In light of this potential, we might consider regulating how we treat AI, or how we build AI to evoke certain kinds of treatment from users, but not because AI is inherently sentient. This argument focuses on humanlike, social actor AI such as chatbots, digital voice assistants, and social robots. In the first part of the paper, we provide evidence for carry-over effects between perceptions of AI consciousness and behavior toward humans through literature on human-computer interaction, human-AI interaction, and the psychology of artificial agents. In the second part of the paper, we detail how the mechanism of schema activation can allow us to test consciousness perception as a driver of carry-over effects between human-AI interaction and human-human interaction. In essence, perceiving AI as conscious like a human, thereby activating congruent mind schemas during interaction, is a driver for behaviors and perceptions of AI that can carry over into how we treat humans. Therefore, the fact that people can ascribe humanlike consciousness to AI is worth considering, and moral protection for AI is also worth considering, regardless of AI’s inherent conscious or moral status.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1322781/fullartificial intelligencehuman-AI interactiontheory of mindconsciousnessschemaschatbots |
| spellingShingle | Rose E. Guingrich Rose E. Guingrich Michael S. A. Graziano Michael S. A. Graziano Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interaction Frontiers in Psychology artificial intelligence human-AI interaction theory of mind consciousness schemas chatbots |
| title | Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interaction |
| title_full | Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interaction |
| title_fullStr | Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interaction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interaction |
| title_short | Ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence: human-AI interaction and its carry-over effects on human-human interaction |
| title_sort | ascribing consciousness to artificial intelligence human ai interaction and its carry over effects on human human interaction |
| topic | artificial intelligence human-AI interaction theory of mind consciousness schemas chatbots |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1322781/full |
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