Fears about AI-mediated communication are grounded in different expectations for one's own versus others' use
This addresses concerns about interpersonal trust and disclosure in AI-mediated communication for the general public, but it is incremental as it builds on existing discussions with empirical data.
The paper investigates perceptions of AI-mediated communication technologies (AICTs), finding that secret use is less acceptable than open use, people overestimate others' use, and expect irresponsible behavior from others, raising concerns about misperceptions driving pessimistic outlooks.
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.