Suspicious of Artificial Intelligence (SUSAI) Project

Extensive theoretical and empirical work has enabled the human-AI interaction (HAII) research community to understand what factors lead people to trust AI. In current research, trust in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is strongly encouraged because the benefits of trusting are often overemphasized. This bias toward optimism comes at the expense of a more balanced and complete perspective on the nature and effects of trust, because it is also important to consider the so-called “dark side”. Much less effort is devoted to developing a clear understanding of mistrust and distrust, even though research has already shown that AI is also used for harmful and criminal activities.

The topic of mistrust and distrust in AI is sparsely explored in the specific context of HAII. The proposed Suspicious of Artificial Intelligence (SUSAI) project aims to fill this research gap by investigating why people are unwilling to trust AI by focusing on the broader notion of mistrust. Using the methods of a literature review and expert interviews, the SUSAI project intends to develop a conceptual model of mistrust in AI applicable to everyday life HAII contexts.

Principal Investigator: Glenda Hannibal
Project Members: Alice Chumova, Linda Schmidt, Gabriela Beltrão, and Iuliia Paramonova.