AI in Your Mind: Counterbalancing Perceived Agency and Experience in Human-AI Interaction

Abstract

In this mixed-methods study, we attempt to capture users' conception of AI through the two-dimensional mind perception framework (perceived agency vs. experience) in cognitive psychology [13] and a series of drawing tasks. Our data illustrate how participants perceive AI entities with physical embodiment, depicting AI through devices, imaginary human figures, or full techno-ecosystems. Furthermore, we apply users' mind maps of AI entities to highlight risks in human-AI interaction (HAII) and propose design solutions accordingly. We posit HAII research and development should be cognizant that users possess existing AI images and should exploit them as starting points for design improvement.