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A study from Aalto University shows that ChatGPT users exaggerate task performance regardless of their actual skill level, showing a reversal of the popular cognitive bias known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE), a tendency of low performers to overestimate their competence and of high performers to underestimate theirs.
The paper by Professor Robin Welsch, titled “AI Makes You Smarter but None the Wiser,” reveals that when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence, all users overestimated their skills. This was especially pronounced in those who considered themselves more AI-literate, which showed a reversal of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
“We found that when it comes to AI, the [Dunning-Kruger Effect] vanishes. In fact, what’s really surprising is that higher AI literacy brings more overconfidence,” Welsch said in a statement about his research.
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The experiment observed some 500 participants as they completed logical reasoning tasks from the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) using either ChatGPT or no AI assistance at all. Subsequently, the subjects were asked to assess their performance, with extra compensation for high accuracy.
“We would expect people who are AI-literate to not only be a bit better at interacting with AI systems, but also at judging their performance with those systems — but this was not the case,” Welsch added.
The data also revealed that most users were happy with the first answer that the chatbot gave them and copied it without any additional prompting.
“We looked at whether they truly reflected with the AI system and found that people just thought the AI would solve things for them. Usually there was just one single interaction to get the results, which means that users blindly trusted the system. It’s what we call cognitive offloading, when all the processing is done by AI,” Welsch explained.
Welsch concludes with the hope that future AI systems will be better at interacting with users by asking them to further explain their reasoning and face their illusion of knowledge.
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