Field
Political Science
AI-Mediated Communication: Testing the Limits of Algorithmic Kindness
Project Description
This project empirically tests whether AI-mediated kindness promotes positive interpersonal evaluations or backfires due to algorithmic aversion bias and concerns surrounding authentic intent. Through a large-scale online experiment (N > 1,592), we propose to examine how AI-suggested responses influence conversational warmth, perceived authenticity, and trust across different disclosure conditions. We hypothesize that while AI-generated kindness improves perceived positivity, it may simultaneously erode interpersonal trust when disclosed explicitly and saliently.
Team
Merabi Chkhenkeli, Daniel Posner
Merabi George Chkhenkeli is a doctoral candidate at UCLA’s Department of Political Science. His research focuses on the societal implications of artificial intelligence. With BKI, he is researching the limits of AI-mediated communication in promoting kindness and cooperation online. He holds an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford.
Daniel N. Posner is the James S. Coleman Professor of International Development in the Department of Political Science at UCLA. His research focuses on ethnic politics, distributive politics, research design and transparency, and the political economy of development in Africa.