How does using AI at work shape others' perceptions of you? Could you enhance or damage your reputation by leveraging AI extensively? Jessica Reif , Richard Larrick, and Jack Soll have published a fascinating new paper on this topic titled "Evidence of a social evaluation penalty for using AI." The scholars conducted a series of experiments to examine how people perceive those that use AI extensively at work. The authors concluded, "This work provides experimental evidence that people incur a social evaluation penalty for using AI tools at work. This generates a dilemma for employees: The productivity gains they can achieve with AI tools carry a social cost."
Duke Fuqua Insights reported on this study's findings: "The study found that employees judge colleagues who use AI as less competent and lazier, and recruiting managers may act based on this perception by penalizing job candidates who rely on AI to complete tasks." On the other hand, if the manager also uses AI to enhance efficiency and productivity, this social penalty goes away.
Will these attitudes about AI shift over time? The authors think so. They write, "Perceptions of technology tend to be influenced by its age, and thus the social evaluation penalties we documented are likely to shift as AI tools become more commonplace and organizational norms around their use continue to develop."
What do I take away from this research? What is the practical implication? For me, I recommend that employees explain their rationale for using AI to enhance productivity and efficiency. You have to make your case to the skeptics in your organization and provide evidence of the how it improves workplace performance. Don't just assume others recognize its merits. However, you also don't want to disparage colleagues and managers who might be resistant, or who might perceive AI users as lazy or incompetent. Give them concrete evidence of its benefits, rather than making conceptual arguments. Invite them to collaborate with you on projects that involve the use of AI. Help them see firsthand how it can help them. Finally, don't downplay the risks and problems associated with AI use. Acknowledge the challenges associated with hallucinations and biases. Explain how you try to address those risks in your work.