Artificial Intelligence can facilitate selfish decisions by altering the appearance of interaction partners

TL;DR

This paper investigates how AI-powered blur filters on social media and video calls can increase selfish behavior by depersonalizing others, raising ethical concerns about perception manipulation.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that appearance-altering AI filters can facilitate moral disengagement and highlights the need for ethical guidelines and transparency.

Findings

Blur filters increase selfish behavior towards depersonalized individuals

Appearance manipulation via AI affects moral decision-making

Highlights ethical concerns and need for responsible AI use

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of image-altering filters on social media and video conferencing technologies has raised concerns about the ethical and psychological implications of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to manipulate our perception of others. In this study, we specifically investigate the potential impact of blur filters, a type of appearance-altering technology, on individuals' behavior towards others. Our findings consistently demonstrate a significant increase in selfish behavior directed towards individuals whose appearance is blurred, suggesting that blur filters can facilitate moral disengagement through depersonalization. These results emphasize the need for broader ethical discussions surrounding AI technologies that modify our perception of others, including issues of transparency, consent, and the awareness of being subject to appearance manipulation by others. We also emphasize the importance of anticipatory experiments in informing the development of responsible guidelines and policies prior to the widespread adoption of such technologies.