Faith in AI can narrow the futures individuals consider

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) predictions are increasingly used to inform human decisions. Here, using a behavioral implementation of the classic Newcomb's paradox in 1,305 participants, we show that AI predictions can also shape the reasoning people use to make a decision. In this paradigm, perceived predictive authority can alter how people reason about their future actions, leading them to forgo a guaranteed reward. Over 40% of participants treated AI as such a predictive authority about their own behavior, significantly increasing the odds of forgoing the guaranteed reward by a factor of 3.39 (95% CI: 2.45-4.70) and reducing earnings by 10.7-42.9%. The effect appeared across AI presentations and decision contexts and remained detectable even when predictions repeatedly failed. When people perceive AI as capable of predicting their personal behavior, the mere presence of AI predictions may shape their decision-making, narrowing the futures they consider.