A recent study conducted by MIT student Eunhae Lee has unveiled that individuals who have faith in horoscopes tend to place similar trust in artificial intelligence. In this experiment, Lee enlisted 238 participants to engage in an investment simulation where they were tasked with distributing funds among stocks categorized by varying levels of risk and potential return. Prior to the simulation, the volunteers were asked for their birth dates under the pretense of generating a horoscope and were also required to complete a personality assessment. Additionally, they were informed that an AI system would scrutinize their investment choices. Following the simulation, participants received three assessments of their investing approaches, allegedly from an astrologer, a psychologist, and an AI. The feedback was divided, with half of the participants receiving optimistic evaluations, while the other half were presented with pessimistic ones. They were then prompted to evaluate the credibility and accuracy of each assessment, unaware that all the comments were generic and unrelated to their individual traits. The results indicated that those who rated the feedback from the "astrologer" or "psychologist" favorably were also more inclined to trust the AI's predictions. Positive remarks such as "You are a rational investor destined for success" were deemed more credible than negative statements like "You are impulsive and likely to incur low returns." Interestingly, analytical reasoning did not significantly influence trust levels, but a belief in the supernatural and a generally optimistic view of AI did. Lee connects these outcomes to the Barnum effect, which explains the tendency of individuals to interpret broad, ambiguous statements (like those found in horoscopes) as specifically relevant and accurate, particularly when they are favorable. This insight suggests that people may overly rely on AI recommendations when they are positive in nature, emphasizing the need for chatbots, especially in critical sectors like healthcare or finance, to promote a mindset of critical evaluation. Who do you trust more? A horoscope, a chatbot, or just your own judgment?
Informational material. 18+.
