The need for an empirical research program regarding human-AI relational norms

Area of Science:

• Social psychology
• Human-computer interaction
• Artificial intelligence ethics

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly assuming social roles.
• Human relationships are governed by distinct cooperative norms.
• The integration of AI into social roles challenges existing relational expectations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how social AI influences cooperative expectations in human-human and human-AI relationships.
• To explore whether people expect AI to follow human social norms.
• To examine potential shifts in human-human relationship norms due to AI.

Main Methods:

• Proposing an empirical framework to map distinctions in cooperative expectations across relationship types.
• Analyzing data on people's relationship-specific cooperative expectations.
• Considering the evolution of relational norms over time.

Main Results:

• Anticipates a divergence in cooperative expectations between human-human and human-AI interactions.
• Suggests data can inform ethical evaluations for AI design and human-AI interaction norms.
• Highlights the potential for AI to influence or alter human relational dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Understanding evolving cooperative expectations is crucial for social AI integration.
• Empirical data on intuitive norms is essential for responsible AI development.
• Research can forecast societal adaptation and potential resistance to AI in social roles.