{"id":19205,"date":"2024-04-12T11:59:31","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T18:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=19205"},"modified":"2024-04-12T11:59:32","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T18:59:32","slug":"the-hidden-risk-of-letting-ai-decide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-hidden-risk-of-letting-ai-decide\/","title":{"rendered":"The hidden risk of letting AI decide &#8211; losing the skills to choose for ourselves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/04\/ai-humans-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/04\/ai-humans-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/04\/ai-humans-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/04\/ai-humans-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  In the movie \u2018WALL-E ,\u2019 the technology-coddled humans of the future weren\u2019t doing so well. (Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pixar.com\/feature-films\/walle\">Courtesy Pixar<\/a>.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=science-and-technology\">Science and Technology<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>The hidden risk of letting AI decide &#8211; losing the skills to choose for ourselves<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  AI has the potential to diminish the human experience in several ways. One particularly concerning threat is to the ability to make thoughtful decisions.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Joe \u00c1rvai<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">April 12, 2024<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" 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cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>As artificial intelligence creeps further into people\u2019s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/05\/30\/technology\/ai-threat-warning.html\">going rogue<\/a> and terminating its human masters.<\/p>\n<p>But behind the calls for a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/29\/technology\/ai-artificial-intelligence-musk-risks.html\">pause on the development of AI<\/a> is a suite of more tangible social ills. Among them are the risks AI poses to people\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/taylor-swift-ai-images-highlight-need-for-better-legislation-1.7096094\">privacy and dignity<\/a> and the inevitable fact that, because the algorithms under AI\u2019s hood are programmed by humans, it is just as <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/forget-dystopian-scenarios-ai-is-pervasive-today-and-the-risks-are-often-hidden-218222\">biased<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1057\/s41599-023-02079-x\">discriminatory<\/a> as many of us. Throw in the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2023\/07\/25\/1076698\/its-high-time-for-more-ai-transparency\/\">lack of transparency<\/a> about how AI is designed, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/11\/27\/us\/politics\/ai-us-uae-china-security-g42.html\">by whom<\/a>, and it\u2019s easy to understand why so much time these days is devoted to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/world-economic-forum-spotlights-the-opportunities-and-risks-of-ai\">debating its risks<\/a> as much as its potential.<\/p>\n<p>But <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/bpp.2020.37\">my own research<\/a> as a psychologist who <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?hl=en&amp;user=oNPz5m0AAAAJ&amp;view_op=list_works&amp;sortby=pubdate\">studies how people make decisions<\/a> leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.<\/p>\n<h2>Making thoughtful decisions<\/h2>\n<p>The process of making thoughtful decisions involves three <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/magazines\/public-square\/an-appeal-for-smarter-decisions\/\">common sense steps<\/a> that begin with taking time to understand the task or problem you\u2019re confronted with. Ask yourself, what is it that you need to know, and what do you need to do in order to make a decision that you\u2019ll be able to credibly and confidently defend later? <\/p>\n<p>The answers to these questions hinge on actively seeking out information that both fills gaps in your knowledge and challenges your prior beliefs and assumptions. In fact, it\u2019s this <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/csl.armywarcollege.edu\/usacsl\/publications\/Hendrickson_Counterfactual_Reasoning.pdf\">counterfactual information<\/a> \u2013 alternative possibilities that emerge when people unburden themselves of certain assumptions \u2013 that ultimately equips you to defend your decisions when they are criticized.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to make better decisions | Dr. Joe Arvai | TEDxCalgary\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NQ7SAcFp4so?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption style=\"font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.5; margin-top: -3.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #4A4A4A;\">Thoughtful decisions involve considering your values and weighing trade-offs.<\/figcaption><p>The second step is seeking out and considering more than one option at a time. Want to improve your quality of life? Whether it\u2019s who you vote for, the jobs you accept or the things you buy, there\u2019s always more than one road that will get you there. Expending the effort to actively consider and rate at least a few plausible options, and in a manner that is honest about the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NQ7SAcFp4so\">trade-offs you are willing to make<\/a> across their pros and cons, is a hallmark of a thoughtful and defensible choice.<\/p>\n<p>The third step is being willing to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/0022-0663.89.2.342\">delay closure<\/a> on a decision until after you\u2019ve done all the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/risa.14177\">necessary heavy mental lifting<\/a>. It\u2019s no secret: Closure feels good because it means you\u2019ve put a difficult or important decision behind you. But the cost of moving on prematurely can be much higher than taking the time to do your homework. If you don\u2019t believe me, just think about all those times you let your feelings guide you, only to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.joep.2020.102326\">experience regret<\/a> because you didn\u2019t take the time to think a little harder.<\/p>\n<h2>Dangers of outsourcing decisions to AI<\/h2>\n<p>None of these three steps are terribly difficult to take. But, for most, they\u2019re <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/CBO9780511808098\">not intuitive<\/a> either. Making thoughtful and defensible decisions <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2020\/01\/the-elements-of-good-judgment\">requires practice and self-discipline<\/a>. And this is where the hidden harm that AI exposes people to comes in: AI does most of its \u201cthinking\u201d behind the scenes and presents users with answers that are stripped of context and  deliberation. Worse, AI robs people of the opportunity to practice the process of making thoughtful and defensible decisions on their own.<\/p>\n<p>Consider how people approach many important decisions today. Humans are well known for being <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/us.macmillan.com\/books\/9780374533557\/thinkingfastandslow\">prone to a wide range of biases<\/a> because we tend to be frugal when it comes to expending mental energy. This frugality leads people to like it when seemingly good or trustworthy <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nzz.ch\/english\/oxford-philosopher-says-ai-cant-make-our-hard-choices-ld.1814334\">decisions are made for them<\/a>. And we are <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389%2Ffnbeh.2015.00015\">social animals<\/a> who tend to value the security and acceptance of their communities more than they might value their own autonomy. <\/p>\n<p>Add AI to the mix and the result is a dangerous feedback loop: The data that AI is mining to fuel its algorithms is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2019\/10\/what-do-we-do-about-the-biases-in-ai\">made up of people\u2019s biased decisions<\/a> that also reflect the pressure of conformity instead of the wisdom of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/risa.13833\">critical reasoning<\/a>. But because people like having decisions made for them, they tend to accept these bad decisions and move on to the next one. In the end, neither we nor AI end up the wiser.<\/p>\n<h2>Being thoughtful in the age of AI<\/h2>\n<p>It would be wrongheaded to argue that AI won\u2019t offer any benefits to society. It most likely will, especially in fields like <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-ai-is-shaping-the-cybersecurity-arms-race-167017\">cybersecurity<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/blog\/2023\/12\/14\/delivering-on-the-promise-of-ai-to-improve-health-outcomes\/\">health care<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/melissahouston\/2023\/12\/16\/is-ai-the-future-of-business-finance\/\">finance<\/a>, where complex models and massive amounts of data need to be analyzed routinely and quickly. However, most of our day-to-day decisions don\u2019t require this kind of analytic horsepower. <\/p>\n<p>But whether we asked for it or not, many of us have already received advice from \u2013 and work performed by \u2013 AI in settings ranging from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/tech\/ai\/ai-movie-tv-books-choice-51aa7d21\">entertainment<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/16\/travel\/chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-travel-vacation.html\">travel<\/a> to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/videos\/2023\/12\/12\/23998858\/ai-chatgpt-education-cheating\">schoolwork<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/02\/18\/artificial-intelligence-health-care-fda-00141768\">health care<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/08\/24\/31percent-of-investors-are-ok-with-using-ai-as-their-financial-advisor.html\">finance<\/a>. And designers are hard at work on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/agenda\/2023\/09\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-transform-decision-making\/\">next-generation AI<\/a> that will be able to automate even more of our daily decisions. And this, in my view, is dangerous. <\/p>\n<p>In a world where what and how people think is already under siege thanks to the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/570128\/the-hype-machine-by-sinan-aral\/\">algorithms of social media<\/a>, we risk putting ourselves in an even more perilous position if we allow AI to reach a level of sophistication where it can make all kinds of decisions on our behalf. Indeed, we owe it to ourselves to resist the siren\u2019s call of AI and take back ownership of the true privilege \u2013 and responsibility \u2013 of being human: being able to think and choose for ourselves. We\u2019ll feel better and, importantly, be better if we do.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/227311\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/joe-arvai-170276\">Joe \u00c1rvai<\/a>, Dana and David Dornsife Professor of Psychology and Director of the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/usc-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669\">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-hidden-risk-of-letting-ai-decide-losing-the-skills-to-choose-for-ourselves-227311\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/mark-and-mary-stevens-give-200-million-to-power-ai-research-across-usc\/\" \n         target=\"_blank\"                 class=\"\" \n      >Mark and Mary Stevens give $200 million to power AI research across USC<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/computational-linguistics-student-finds-love-of-language-and-ai-safety-at-usc-dornsife\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Love of language and community \u2014 and AI safety \u2014 fuel graduating senior\u2019s USC Dornsife experience<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/ai-may-promote-cultural-homogenization\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >AI is changing more than your writing \u2014 it may be shaping your worldview<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI has the potential to diminish the human experience in several ways. One particularly concerning threat is to the ability to make thoughtful decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":19210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[99,87,112,83],"class_list":["post-19205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-and-technology","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-expert-viewpoint","tag-psychology","tag-the-conversation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The hidden risk of letting AI decide - losing the skills to choose for ourselves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-hidden-risk-of-letting-ai-decide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The hidden risk of letting AI decide - losing the skills to choose for ourselves\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AI has the potential to diminish the human experience in several ways. One particularly concerning threat is to the ability to make thoughtful decisions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-hidden-risk-of-letting-ai-decide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-12T18:59:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-12T18:59:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/04\/ai-humans-top.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Liu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-hidden-risk-of-letting-ai-decide\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-hidden-risk-of-letting-ai-decide\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Liu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447\"},\"headline\":\"The hidden risk of letting AI decide &#8211; 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