18 September 2023 , 05:30
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AI text generators like ChatGPT may be all the rage right now, but users beware: using it incorrectly could lose you some friends.
That's according to a new research paper from Ohio State University which suggests that using AI generators to write personal messages to close friends or relatives can result in massively negative perceptions of you.
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Binjie Liu, who led the study, said: "After they get an AI-assisted message, people feel less satisfied with their relationship with their friend and feel more uncertain about where they stand."
Surprisingly, people don't like it when you put zero effort into talking to themThe study involved 208 adults who were given a hypothetical scenario where they turn to a friend named 'Taylor' for support, who then produces a 'thoughtful' reply. One third of participants were told 'Taylor' used an AI system to edit his message, others were told he was helped by someone else, and the other third were told Taylor made all the edits to the message himself.
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Those who received a reply edited by AI said they were more uncertain about their relationship and whether Taylor 'likes me as a close friend', and said they were unsure if he could 'meet their needs'.
The AI reply received similar responses to the scenario where a friend had helped Taylor draft the text.
This is because participants felt that 'Taylor' wasn't putting in enough effort into their relationship by using AI or another person to write a message.
Ms Liu said: "What we found is that people don't think a friend should use any third party—AI or another human—to help maintain their relationship."
She added: "Effort is very important in a relationship. People want to know how much you are willing to invest in your friendship and if they feel you are taking shortcuts by using AI to help, that's not good."