A recent study by the Chair of Human-Centered Ubiquitous Media at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) has shown that users of human augmentation technologies may be susceptible to a form of placebo effect. The study found that users who believed that AI was improving their cognitive abilities had a greater tendency for risk-taking, despite there being no evidence that the AI was actually assisting them. This pattern of behaviour suggests that users are placing high expectations on the effects of these technologies, but are unable to distinguish real assistance from a perceived effect.
The study, led by doctoral researcher Steeven Villa, involved participants being told that they would be assisted by an AI application during a virtual card game that would augment their cognitive abilities. However, in reality, there was no such application. Despite this, participants were found to have increased their risk-taking activity, leading the researchers to posit the existence of a placebo effect. This phenomenon is not unlike that of the placebo effect for medication, where patients often experience symptom relief from a treatment that has no active ingredient, but which they believe is effective.
This study highlights the importance of developing human augmentation technologies that offer genuine support, and of assessing their actual benefits before releasing them. It is recommended that tech companies involve users and their expectations to a greater extent in the development process, and that they consider the possible existence of a placebo effect when designing and testing new AI applications.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the use of human augmentation technologies. These devices and apps can enhance physical abilities, such as through the use of exoskeletons, and cognitive abilities, through AI and machine learning. Users of these technologies tend to have high expectations of their benefits, expecting improvements in performance, efficiency and safety. However, this study indicates that much of this expectation may be due to a placebo effect, rather than the actual augmentation of human abilities.
Albrecht Schmidt, Professor of Computer Science at LMU, notes that “at a time when people are increasingly interacting with intelligent systems, it’s important to understand a possible placebo effect so that we can build systems that offer genuine support.” The researchers recommend that future studies in this area should assess the possible placebo effect of user expectations on cognitive augmentation, and that tech companies should take these factors into account when designing new AI applications.
The results of this study have important implications for the field of human augmentation. Without a better understanding of the placebo effect, it may be difficult to assess and measure the benefits of these technologies. This may lead to a proliferation of ineffective apps and devices, and could negatively impact the development of the field as a whole. As such, it is vital that researchers and developers work together to build systems that offer genuine support, and that put user needs and expectations at the forefront of the design process.
