Human-AI Interactions: Cognitive, Behavioral, and Emotional Impacts

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent research on human-AI interactions, highlighting cognitive, behavioral, and emotional impacts, and emphasizes the importance of responsible AI design to mitigate risks and enhance benefits.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of psychological effects of AI, identifying gaps and proposing the need for responsible, context-aware AI development and evaluation frameworks.

Findings

AI enhances memory, creativity, and engagement

Risks include diminished critical thinking and increased anxiety

Emotional impacts are mixed, with potential for support and dependency

Abstract

As stories of human-AI interactions continue to be highlighted in the news and research platforms, the challenges are becoming more pronounced, including potential risks of overreliance, cognitive offloading, social and emotional manipulation, and the nuanced degradation of human agency and judgment. This paper surveys recent research on these issues through the lens of the psychological triad: cognition, behavior, and emotion. Observations seem to suggest that while AI can substantially enhance memory, creativity, and engagement, it also introduces risks such as diminished critical thinking, skill erosion, and increased anxiety. Emotional outcomes are similarly mixed, with AI systems showing promise for support and stress reduction, but raising concerns about dependency, inappropriate attachments, and ethical oversight. This paper aims to underscore the need for responsible and context-aware AI design, highlighting gaps for longitudinal research and grounded evaluation frameworks to balance benefits with emerging human-centric risks.