Researchers Warn AI Could Be Changing Us in an Unexpected Way

Key Points:

• A new theoretical study published in AI & Society suggests that frequent interactions with customer-support AIs may lead people to adopt communication patterns that are easier for these AI agents to process, potentially making humans less expressive and more "robot-like."
• The researchers propose a bidirectional influence called "robotoid humanness," where AI bots become more human-like, and people, in turn, adjust their behavior to be more compatible with AI, smoothing out their quirks and unpredictability.
• AI customer service bots personalize interactions by remembering user inputs and adapting responses, which can make conversations feel more social and blur the line between human and machine communication.
• The study hypothesizes that this dynamic may subtly alter individuals' sense of self, as AI rewards certain communication patterns through algorithm-driven feedback, encouraging users to mirror these behaviors to facilitate smoother exchanges.
• While the research is theoretical and experimental validation is needed, the authors emphasize the importance of understanding these effects to ensure ethical use of AI in customer service, preserving the diversity of human expression.