Of Essence and Obsolescence: Priming Artificial Intelligence Changes Perceptions of Human Nature

Will people redefine what they see as essential to the human experience as the human species loses ground to Artificial Intelligence (AI) on such attributes as logic and language? Four studies using U.S. samples (N = 2,101) test this possibility. Study 1 supports a two-part classification of human attributes that we then use in subsequent studies. Studies 2a-2c demonstrate that, compared to reading a control prime about trees, reading a treatment prime about AI progress leads participants to view those attributes not shared with AI (e.g., humor and having desires) as more essential to being human. We found no evidence that this exposure leads to devaluation of those attributes shared with AI (e.g., logic and language). This research suggests that as AI becomes ubiquitous and increasingly capable, conceptions of human nature may shift in reaction to value what makes humans unique.