Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships
Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is already widely used in daily communication, but despite concerns about AI’s negative effects on society the social consequences of using it to communicate remain largely unexplored. We investigate the social consequences of one of the most pervasive AI applic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30938-9 |
| _version_ | 1827634263374168064 |
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| author | Jess Hohenstein Rene F. Kizilcec Dominic DiFranzo Zhila Aghajari Hannah Mieczkowski Karen Levy Mor Naaman Jeffrey Hancock Malte F. Jung |
| author_facet | Jess Hohenstein Rene F. Kizilcec Dominic DiFranzo Zhila Aghajari Hannah Mieczkowski Karen Levy Mor Naaman Jeffrey Hancock Malte F. Jung |
| author_sort | Jess Hohenstein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is already widely used in daily communication, but despite concerns about AI’s negative effects on society the social consequences of using it to communicate remain largely unexplored. We investigate the social consequences of one of the most pervasive AI applications, algorithmic response suggestions (“smart replies”), which are used to send billions of messages each day. Two randomized experiments provide evidence that these types of algorithmic recommender systems change how people interact with and perceive one another in both pro-social and anti-social ways. We find that using algorithmic responses changes language and social relationships. More specifically, it increases communication speed, use of positive emotional language, and conversation partners evaluate each other as closer and more cooperative. However, consistent with common assumptions about the adverse effects of AI, people are evaluated more negatively if they are suspected to be using algorithmic responses. Thus, even though AI can increase the speed of communication and improve interpersonal perceptions, the prevailing anti-social connotations of AI undermine these potential benefits if used overtly. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:11:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-91a1f309684f43fa89b1058819842f9c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:11:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-91a1f309684f43fa89b1058819842f9c2023-11-26T13:20:17ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-04-011311910.1038/s41598-023-30938-9Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationshipsJess Hohenstein0Rene F. Kizilcec1Dominic DiFranzo2Zhila Aghajari3Hannah Mieczkowski4Karen Levy5Mor Naaman6Jeffrey Hancock7Malte F. Jung8Department of Information Science, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Information Science, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh UniversityDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh UniversityDepartment of Communication, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Information Science, Cornell UniversityCornell TechDepartment of Communication, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Information Science, Cornell UniversityAbstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is already widely used in daily communication, but despite concerns about AI’s negative effects on society the social consequences of using it to communicate remain largely unexplored. We investigate the social consequences of one of the most pervasive AI applications, algorithmic response suggestions (“smart replies”), which are used to send billions of messages each day. Two randomized experiments provide evidence that these types of algorithmic recommender systems change how people interact with and perceive one another in both pro-social and anti-social ways. We find that using algorithmic responses changes language and social relationships. More specifically, it increases communication speed, use of positive emotional language, and conversation partners evaluate each other as closer and more cooperative. However, consistent with common assumptions about the adverse effects of AI, people are evaluated more negatively if they are suspected to be using algorithmic responses. Thus, even though AI can increase the speed of communication and improve interpersonal perceptions, the prevailing anti-social connotations of AI undermine these potential benefits if used overtly.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30938-9 |
| spellingShingle | Jess Hohenstein Rene F. Kizilcec Dominic DiFranzo Zhila Aghajari Hannah Mieczkowski Karen Levy Mor Naaman Jeffrey Hancock Malte F. Jung Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships Scientific Reports |
| title | Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships |
| title_full | Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships |
| title_fullStr | Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships |
| title_full_unstemmed | Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships |
| title_short | Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships |
| title_sort | artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30938-9 |
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