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Study finds increase in deception when people use AI

By Harriette Boucher

Copyright independent

Study finds increase in deception when people use AI

A new study has revealed that people are significantly more likely to engage in deceitful behavior when using artificial intelligence (AI) compared to acting alone.

Conducted by scientists in Berlin across 13 studies with over 8,000 participants, the research found approximately 85% of individuals lied when instructing AI, whereas 95% were honest without machine involvement.

Experts, such as Dr. Sandra Wachter from the University of Oxford, warn that this increased propensity for unethical behavior via AI could have serious consequences in high-risk sectors like finance, health, and education.

Researchers suggest that AI creates a ‘convenient moral distance’, making people comfortable requesting actions they would not perform themselves or ask of other humans.

The study’s authors advocate for urgent development of technical safeguards and regulatory frameworks, alongside a societal discussion on sharing moral responsibility with machines.