The Psychology of Human-AI Interactions: Part I
Exploring AI and Human Agency: The TikTok Dynamic
KEY POINTS
Users and AI collaboratively influence content consumption, creation, and social networking
TikTok's AI-curated content leads to high user engagement, characterized by prolonged and frequent platform use
AI on TikTok fosters niche and fluid communities, enabling users to connect based on shared interests
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence unfolds like a relentless cascade of waterfalls, challenging our ability to keep pace. In this digital era, we bear witness to the emergence of phenomena akin to artificial deities, the digital resurrection of ancestors, and the creation of virtual companions - friends and lovers alike. As individuals immerse themselves in these virtual realms, they confront a timeless human dilemma, now starkly amplified by modern existence: loneliness, humanity's ancient shadow.
Gradually and subtly, our everyday reality resembles magical realism, reminiscent of Macondo, the mythical town in Gabriel García Márquez’s 'One Hundred Years of Solitude.' In the novel, the characters of Macondo create their own realities for comfort, paralleling today's individuals immersing in digital worlds for similar solace:
'Many succumbed to the spell of an imaginary reality, one invented by themselves, which was less practical for them but more comforting.’
Gabriel García Márquez, 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'
Research suggests that escapism and relaxation are primary motivators for people joining social networks. Yet, this pursuit of escape often morphs into a form of entrapment, ensnaring users in the tangled algorithms of the virtual world.
Today’s AI, increasingly adept at processing natural language in written and spoken forms, opens new avenues for technology use and control. Factors such as the human tendency to personify - to attribute human characteristics to nonhuman entities - gain significance. Advances in AI have birthed entities that deliver information, behave, or sound strikingly human, thus deepening and complicating our relationship with technology. The inclination to personify, once reserved for teddy bears or cars, has now become a pivotal aspect, redefining our interactions with technological artifacts. As tech companies develop new AI products, they capitalize on this tendency by infusing products with more human-like traits.
In the upcoming ‘The Psychology of Human-AI Interactions’ article series, we’ll look into how AI deeply affects our lives and jobs, and examine the complex nature of our growing relationship with AI. Our first exploration, 'AI agency vs. human agency: understanding human–AI interactions on TikTok', unveils the intricacies of this dance between humans and machines.
AI AGENCY VS. HUMAN AGENCY: UNDERSTANDING HUMAN-AI INTERACTIONS ON TIKTOK
⚠ WARNING
TikTok’s algorithm shows how AI can improve user experience, but it also raises big questions about privacy, ethics, mental health, and the risk of manipulation. These problems show we need to think carefully, and maybe even make rules, about how we use strong AI tools on social media.
Short Summary
The study examines how AI reshapes user experiences on social media, with the main focus on TikTok. It explores how users collaborate with AI, affecting their engagement. Findings show that TikTok users appreciate personalized experiences offered by AI and actively shape AI algorithms for more tailored content. This AI-user collaboration significantly influences both medium and social-interactive engagement.
Methodology
In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of TikTok usage patterns, researchers carried out comprehensive, individual interviews with 25 TikTok users in Singapore. The age range of the participants was between 21 and 26 years, accurately representing the primary demographic of TikTok users. The recruitment process was a blend of personal networks and snowball sampling, ensuring a diverse and representative sample. All interviews were conducted in English via Zoom, and each session was audio-recorded to ensure accuracy.
🧙♂️ EXPLAINER
Machine Agency:
Think of machine agency as a 'smart assistant' in a digital world. AI in social media works like a helper that learns what you like and gives you a personalized online experience. It’s like having a personal guide who knows your likes and shows you things that you would enjoy.
User Agency:
Think of a user as a ship’s captain. The ship (social media) has a navigation system (AI), but the captain (user) makes the final decisions. They can follow the AI’s suggestions or make their own choices, showing their power to control their online journey.
Revealing Highlights: My Top Observations
I identified aspects of the study that may be considered significant, interesting, or potentially concerning from an academic or societal perspective:
Dominance of Machine Agency: The study's observation of the overwhelming influence of machine agency (AI algorithms) on user behavior is notable. The extent to which AI shapes user experiences, often leading to a passive user engagement, highlights the profound impact of technology on human behavior. This is particularly interesting as it raises questions about the balance between technology serving human needs and shaping human behavior.
Limited User Agency and its Implications: The finding that users on TikTok often exercise limited agency in their interactions with the platform is intriguing. It suggests a shift in how individuals interact with technology, potentially leading to less active and conscious consumption of digital content. This could have broader implications for how people process information and form opinions in an increasingly digital world.
Imbalance in Human-Machine Power Dynamics: The potential imbalance in the power dynamics between users and the AI algorithm is a significant point. This imbalance may not only affect user experience on the platform but could also have wider societal implications, especially in terms of information diversity and the formation of echo chambers.
Importance of Policymaker Involvement: The study shows we need rules to control content and keep users safe. As digital platforms keep changing fast, it’s more and more important for policymakers to make sure we’re okay online. This is a big part of the current talks about how to control tech companies and platforms.
Study's Relevance Despite Limitations: Despite its limitations, the study is important as it contributes to the understanding of the complex interplay between human and machine agency in modern digital platforms. It provides insights that are valuable for platform designers, users, and policymakers. Understanding these dynamics is essential for creating a digital environment that respects user autonomy while leveraging the benefits of AI.
DID YOU KNOW?
TikTok’s algorithm is so powerful and aggressive that it can learn the vulnerabilities and interests of a user in less than 40 minutes (Lovejoy, 2021)
Insight and Analysis: Unpacking the Study
In this article, I go beyond offering a mere summary of the research. Instead, I look into its intriguing specifics, curating compelling excerpts from the study. Each quote will be showcased under ‘Author’s Insight:’, highlighting its core essence. This will be followed by my analysis, presented in the section titled ‘Interpreting the Findings:’. Through this dual approach, I aim to shed light on the significance, potential implications, and the broader outcomes of the research findings.
#1 → Author’s Insight:
We found that machine agency largely guides and influences content consumption, creation, and network buildings on AI-powered social media platforms.
→ Interpreting the Findings
The postulated assumption encapsulates a key finding from the study regarding the role of AI (machine agency) in shaping user behavior on platforms like TikTok.
Machine Agency's Role: The statement emphasizes that these AI systems have a significant guiding and influencing role in three major aspects of social media use:
Content Consumption: AI algorithms determine what content users see on their feeds, tailoring it based on their past behaviors, preferences, and interactions.
Content Creation: Machine agency also influences content creation. AI tools suggest trends, effects, and edits that can shape the kind of content users produce.
Network Building: AI assists in forming social networks by connecting users with similar interests, thus influencing the structure and dynamics of online communities.
Guiding and Influencing Nature: The use of the terms "guides" and "influences" suggests that while users have some level of choice and control, the AI systems play a pivotal role in directing these choices and potentially shaping user preferences and behaviors.
Why It Matters:
Understanding AI's Impact: Recognizing the extent of AI's role in user experience is crucial for understanding modern social media dynamics.
User Autonomy and AI Dependency: The finding raises questions about user autonomy and the extent to which users are dependent on or influenced by AI in their social media interactions.
Implications for Content Diversity and Echo Chambers: When AI plays a big part in choosing content, it can affect how different the content is and lead to ‘echo chambers’. This is when users mostly see content that’s similar and supports their views.
#2 → Author’s Insight:
The limited exercise of user agency may contribute to overwhelming machine agency on TikTok. Users may be drawn to the content constantly recommended by the platform, resulting in an imbalanced power relation between machines and humans. We advise users to actively engage with the platform and materialize their will when viewing content, which could contribute to a healthier human–machine power relation in technology-mediated communications.
→ Interpreting the Findings
The concern highlighted in the paper about the limited exercise of user agency leading to overwhelming machine agency on TikTok is significant. If this advice to actively engage and exert more control is not taken seriously, several issues could arise:
1. Loss of Autonomy: If users predominantly rely on AI-driven recommendations and do not actively engage or exert their preferences, they may experience a loss of autonomy in their content consumption. This can make them feel like the AI is controlling them, and they have less personal choice.
2. Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles: If users just take in information without really engaging with it, they might not think as deeply or analyze things as much. They might just accept things as they are without asking if they’re true or thinking about other points of view.
3. Reduced Critical Thinking: Passive consumption without active engagement may lead to reduced critical thinking and analytical skills. Users might accept information at face value without questioning its validity or considering alternative viewpoints.
4. Manipulation and Exploitation Risks: Overwhelming machine agency could potentially make users more susceptible to manipulation. Algorithms that try to get more engagement might show more exciting or extreme content. This could change what people think or spread wrong information.
5. Mental Health Concerns: Using too much AI-chosen content, especially if it doesn’t match what users really want or need, can be bad for mental health. This can lead to more anxiety, unhappiness, or a warped view of reality.
6. Lack of Diverse Experiences: When users engage actively, they often find new and different content. If they don’t do this, they might not see a wide range of experiences and chances to learn that are outside of what the AI chooses for them.
7. Data Privacy and Security: Passive users may not be as vigilant about their data privacy and security. If they don’t manage their preferences and settings, they might share more personal data than they mean to.
In short, while AI can make things better by choosing content for users, it’s important for users to also be active. This balance makes sure users have a good relationship with technology, where they’re in control and not just following what the AI picks for them.
DID YOU KNOW?
TikTok's AI features, designed to minimize the effort required in content creation and networking, might inadvertently contribute to a more passive user experience, subtly shifting the power balance towards machine agency.
#3→ Author’s Insight:
…user engagement is a multidimensional construct encompassing psychological and behavioral experiences, including the extent to which users are cognitively involved in interactions (e.g., Busselle & Bilandzic, 2009) and how often users interact with a given technology or interface (e.g., Hutchins et al., 1986). (page 4)
→ Interpreting the Findings
The preceding declaration talks about how users interact with computers. It defines user engagement as a complex concept that involves both mental and behavioral aspects. Let's decode this by breaking down these two key aspects:
Psychological Experiences
Cognitive Involvement: This refers to the mental or cognitive engagement of users with technology. It involves how deeply users are thinking about, processing, and engaging with the content or interactions presented by the technology. For example, when using social media, you can see how involved users are by how carefully they pay attention to the content, think about it, and maybe connect it to their own life or what they know.
Emotional Engagement: Users often experience emotional reactions during interactions with technology. This can range from joy and satisfaction to frustration or anxiety. Emotional engagement is key to how users perceive and value their interaction with a technology.
Perceived Value and Relevance: The extent to which users find the content or interaction personally relevant or valuable also contributes to psychological engagement. If users find content that resonates with their interests or needs, their psychological investment in the platform increases.
PERSONAL NOTE: The Trade-Offs of AI-Enhanced User Experience
While AI agency significantly enhances user experience by providing personalized content and easing content creation, it inadvertently diminishes active user engagement and potentially undermines the agency of users in shaping their digital environment. This duality presents a nuanced challenge: AI's convenience and personalization come at the cost of reduced user autonomy and active participation, which are essential for a vibrant and interactive digital community.
Behavioral Experiences
Frequency of Interaction: This is a straightforward measure of engagement, indicating how often users interact with a given technology or interface. Higher frequency typically suggests higher engagement.
Duration of Interaction: Along with frequency, the amount of time users spend interacting with technology is a crucial indicator of engagement. Longer durations can imply deeper engagement.
Active Participation: This includes actions like clicking, scrolling, liking, commenting, or content creation. Active participation is a direct behavioral manifestation of engagement.
Usability Interactions: How users navigate and utilize the features of a technology also forms part of behavioral engagement. This includes how they use tools and functionalities provided by the interface.
Integration of Psychological and Behavioral Experiences
The overall user engagement in HCI is an amalgamation of these psychological and behavioral aspects. A user who is both cognitively involved (thinking deeply about content, emotionally engaged) and frequently interacts with the technology (likes, comments, shares) would be considered highly engaged.
Additionally, these dimensions can influence each other. For instance, high cognitive involvement can lead to more active participation, and frequent interaction can enhance cognitive and emotional investment in the technology.
In summary, user engagement in HCI is a complex construct where psychological and behavioral elements intertwine. It’s really important to understand both parts to make technology that draws users in and keeps them really involved.
DID YOU KNOW?
The term Algorithmic Sovereignty refers to the dominance of algorithmic decision-making in social media platforms. It means that algorithms, not users, decide what content is shown, how it’s ordered, and what each user is suggested. These algorithms operate based on user data and behavior, but they function in a way that is often not transparent or controllable by the users.
#4→ Author’s Insight:
…privacy became an issue when they felt like they lost their control over the personal information shared on TikTok
→ Interpreting the Findings
The cited proposition claims that users of TikTok become concerned about their privacy when they perceive a loss of control over the personal information they have shared on the platform. It implies a threshold or tipping point where the comfort with data sharing turns into discomfort or concern, triggered by the feeling that the control over their own information is slipping away. This could be due to various factors such as noticing unexpected use of their data, observing personalized content that feels overly invasive, or learning about the platform's data practices.
Why It Matters: Privacy concerns are vital in the digital age, especially on platforms that leverage user data for content personalization and advertising. Users' trust in a platform is heavily influenced by how their data is handled and perceived control over their personal information. When users feel they lack control, it can lead to discomfort, decreased platform engagement, and even abandonment of the service. Thus, understanding the dynamics of perceived control over personal data is crucial for platform developers and policy-makers to ensure user trust and platform sustainability.
#5→ Author’s Insight:
AI features augment user agency by reducing users’ effort required to exercise agency, especially when creating content and managing networks
→ Interpreting the Findings
The discussed concept posits that the AI-driven features on TikTok make it easier for users to exercise their agency – their capacity to act independently and make their own free choices. Specifically, these AI tools streamline the process of content creation and the management of social networks. For example, AI algorithms might suggest trending topics, filters, or editing tools that align with the user's past behaviors, making the content creation process more efficient. Similarly, AI can suggest connections with other users or groups based on shared interests, thereby facilitating network management.
Why It Matters: The ease of content creation and network management is crucial for user engagement and retention on social media platforms. If these tasks are hard or take too long, users might not use the platform as much or go to other services. AI-driven simplification of these tasks not only enhances user experience but also encourages creativity and social interaction, which are core to the success of platforms like TikTok.
“Interviewees explained that the addictive nature of TikTok stems from the fact that users themselves do not choose the content displayed on FYP, but the machine that understands their interests.”
#6→ Author’s Insight:
A common criticism about AI-powered social media is that how social media algorithms work largely remains in the black box (e.g., Reviglio & Agosti, 2020), making it difficult for users to adapt the algorithmic information flow created for individual users (Gillespie, 2014)
→ Interpreting the Findings
The highlighted observation points out that users don’t really know how AI algorithms on social media work. The term ‘black box’ is used for a system where we know what goes in and what comes out, but we don’t see or understand what happens inside. For social media, this means users see the content the AI shows them, but they don’t know how or why the AI picks certain content. Because they can’t see this, it’s hard for users to change or control the information and content the AI shows them Because they can’t see this, it’s hard for users to change or control the information and content the AI shows them.
Why It Matters: Transparency in how AI algorithms function is crucial for several reasons:
User Autonomy and Control: Knowing how algorithms work helps users to make informed decisions and exercise more control over their digital environment.
Trust in the Platform: Transparency can make users trust the platform more as users are more likely to trust systems they understand.
Ethical Considerations: When algorithms are like a ‘black box’, it can cause worries about ethics. This includes possible unfairness in choosing content and no one being responsible for the choices the algorithms make.
Informed Consent: Transparency is essential for users to give informed consent regarding how their data is used and how they are being targeted by content.
TIP 💡
Personalization algorithms cannot function without accessing and controlling user data.
#7→ Author’s Insight:
TikTok users try to figure how the algorithms work to assure that they exercise control over their experiences on TikTok.
→ Interpreting the Findings
The presented viewpoint implies that users of TikTok are actively attempting to understand the platform's underlying algorithms. Their motivation is to gain some level of control over what they experience on the app. This could involve trying to determine how certain actions (like likes, shares, or the duration of watching a video) influence the content that the algorithm subsequently presents to them. Essentially, users are seeking to navigate and possibly manipulate the algorithm to better suit their preferences, interests, and the content they wish to see or avoid.
Why It Matters:
User Agency and Empowerment: Understanding and influencing the algorithm can make users feel more in control of their online experience, contributing to a sense of agency and satisfaction.
Algorithmic Transparency and Literacy: This behavior underscores the lack of transparency in how AI algorithms work and highlights the need for better algorithmic literacy among users.
User Experience: How users perceive and interact with the algorithm directly affects their overall experience and engagement with the platform.
“Joan (22 years old, female) stated: I wish they (TikTok) would be more transparent with how our data is being collected, and where they’re collecting the data from. Are they collecting data from other apps on our phone or just our behavior on the app? So it’s a bit questionable, a big question mark about how my data is being used?”
#8→ Author’s Insight:
…some of the major motives for using social media are escapism and relaxation (e.g., Smock et al., 2011), and thus, users can act as cognitive misers. Therefore, user agency affordances such as customization may not always be welcome, as active control of behaviors can significantly drain users’ cognitive energy
→ Interpreting the Findings
The articulated premise indicates that a primary reason people use social media is for escapism and relaxation, as per Smock et al. (2011). Given this motive, users often prefer not to exert much mental effort ('cognitive misers') while engaging with these platforms. In this context, user agency affordances, like the ability to customize their experience, might not be universally appealing. This is because actively managing and customizing their social media experience can be mentally taxing, conflicting with their desire for a more passive, relaxing experience.
Why It Matters:
Understanding User Preferences: This insight is crucial for social media platform designers and marketers to understand. Not all users seek active engagement; many prefer a more passive experience.
Platform Design: It informs how social media platforms should be designed – balancing between offering user agency and not overwhelming users with the need for active decision-making.
User Engagement: Overburdening users with too many choices or requiring them to actively manage their experience could lead to reduced user satisfaction and engagement.
#9→ Author’s Insight:
…users understand that they are not powerless; they can exercise their agency within the boundary of a given platform because algorithms run on user data, the essential resources for algorithms
→ Interpreting the Findings
The key takeaway is that users recognize they have some degree of control or 'agency' within social media platforms.
User Influence on Algorithms: Users have some control ('agency') on social media, as their actions like likes, comments, and shares influence the platform's algorithms. This user input affects what content is shown.
Not Powerless: Users aren't completely controlled by these platforms; they can shape the algorithm with their behavior.
Why It Matters:
Empowerment through Actions: Realizing their influence, users might interact more thoughtfully, knowing their choices impact the platform.
Importance of Data Literacy: It's key for users to understand how their online behavior influences what they see.
Shaping the Algorithm: Users play a role in molding their algorithmic experience, leading to a more tailored and controlled experience.
#10→ Author’s Insight:
TikTok users do not actively engage in social interactions through actions, such as liking and commenting, even with a heightened sense of community they expressed. This might be because of the passive mode of user activities triggered by AI agency, which keeps users from expressing their engagement through actions.
→ Interpreting the Findings
The delineated proposal points to a specific user behavior pattern on TikTok and its potential causes.
Explanation of the Statement:
User Behavior on TikTok: Although TikTok users feel a sense of community, they often don't actively engage in interactions like liking or commenting on posts.
AI's Role in User Engagement: The AI features on TikTok may lead to more passive user involvement. Users are likely to just watch content instead of interacting with it through likes and comments.
Passivity in User Engagement: This lack of active participation is linked to the AI's way of showing content. The AI successfully provides engaging content, fulfilling users' desire for entertainment or connection without needing them to actively engage in social interactions.
Why It Matters:
Understanding User Engagement: This behavior challenges conventional metrics of user engagement on social media, which often emphasize active interactions like likes and comments.
Implications for Community Building: It raises questions about the nature of community and connection on social media platforms, suggesting that feelings of community can exist even without active social interactions.
AI Influence on Social Behavior: The statement highlights how AI agency can shape user behavior in subtle ways, influencing how people interact with content and with each other on social platforms.
“Although humans strive to exercise user control, exercising agency involves voluntary actions that require mental and physical efforts (e.g., Vohs et al., 2008). For example, customizing interfaces may deplete users’ mental resources as they require users to deliberate on customization options and making choices subsequently”
#11→ Author’s Insight:
The limited exercise of user agency may contribute to overwhelming machine agency on TikTok. Users may be drawn to the content constantly recommended by the platform, resulting in an imbalanced power relation between machines and humans. We advise users to actively engage with the platform and materialize their will when viewing content, which could contribute to a healthier human–machine power relation in technology-mediated communications.
→ Interpreting the Findings
The statement from the study discusses the implications of user behavior on TikTok, highlighting the balance of power between user agency and machine agency, and provides recommendations for users and policymakers.
Explanation of the Statement:
User Choice on TikTok: The study finds that TikTok users often have limited control over their content choices, leading to AI algorithms largely determining what they see.
Power Imbalance: This dominance of machine over human decisions creates an uneven power dynamic, with users mostly seeing algorithm-recommended content, limiting diverse viewpoints.
User Engagement Advice: To counter this, the study recommends users actively select their content, balancing the human-machine interaction and ensuring content aligns with their preferences.
Policymaker's Role: It also suggests that policymakers should monitor TikTok's content, proposing regulations to prevent inappropriate material and maintain a safe, quality online space.
Why It Matters:
Empowering Users: It emphasizes the need for user involvement in shaping their digital experience.
Diversity of Content: Active choice can lead to exposure to a wider array of content, avoiding algorithmic echo chambers.
Healthy Digital Space: Balancing human and AI input is vital for a user-centric digital ecosystem.
Content Oversight: The necessity for policymaker intervention in content regulation is underlined for maintaining online safety and appropriateness.
DID YOU KNOW?
TikTok's unique algorithmic environment allows videos to effectively reach users who are genuinely interested in them, fostering niche and fluid communities based not on existing social connections but on individual interests.
Conclusion
In light of these findings, the paper not only enhances our understanding of TikTok’s AI-centric ecosystem but also prompts critical reflection on the evolving landscape of human-AI interaction in social media. As we increasingly cohabit digital spaces governed by algorithms, the question of maintaining a balance between personalized convenience and mindful autonomy becomes more pressing. This study lays the groundwork for further exploration into how AI shapes our digital behaviors and identities, urging both users and developers to navigate this intertwined relationship with awareness and responsibility.
The research paper titled "AI agency vs. human agency: understanding human–AI interactions on TikTok and their implications for user engagement" provides an in-depth analysis of how TikTok users interact with the AI features of the platform and the implications of these interactions on user engagement.
Collaboration Between Human and AI Agencies: The study reveals that TikTok users are receptive to the personalized experiences enabled by the AI's machine agency. Users and AI influence each other, leading to a synergy between human agency and machine agency. This synergy shapes how users engage with the platform, both in terms of content consumption and creation, as well as online networking.
AI-Based Algorithmic Curation and User Agency: Users heavily rely on TikTok's "For You Page" (FYP), which uses AI algorithms for content curation. This reliance on AI for content discovery is primarily driven by personalization and convenience. Users appreciate the AI's ability to tailor content to their interests, which enhances their experience on the platform.
Challenges in Content Creation and Sharing: While TikTok's AI-powered video editing tools offer control and customization, the abundance of features can create a barrier to content creation due to the required cognitive effort. Additionally, users exhibit limited engagement in terms of liking or commenting on posts, as they often view content from strangers recommended by the algorithm rather than from known connections.
Ambivalence Towards Machine Agency: Users exhibit ambivalent feelings towards AI guidance. While they enjoy the personalized content, there is a desire to maintain control over their interactions on the platform. Concerns about privacy and control over personal data also play a significant role in their experience. Users acknowledge the trade-off between enjoying personalized services and compromising privacy.
Mutual Agency Augmentation and AI Influence on Networking: The study highlights that AI features reduce the effort required for users to exercise agency, especially in content creation and networking. AI algorithms also influence how users form and articulate their social networks on TikTok, facilitating the discovery of content creators with similar interests.
User Strategies to Influence AI Algorithms: TikTok users actively try to understand and influence the platform's algorithms. This includes strategies like selecting content to view or following specific users to train the algorithm to cater to their preferences, demonstrating a proactive approach to interacting with AI.
Implications for User Engagement: The interaction between human and AI agencies significantly influences user engagement with TikTok. Users describe the platform as engaging and addictive, with the endless, AI-curated content feed tailored to their interests driving frequent and prolonged use. Additionally, the unique content feed for each user encourages sharing content with others outside the platform.
Social-Interactive Engagement: AI on TikTok fosters social-interactive engagement by enabling niche and fluid communities based on genuine interests. The platform's powerful algorithms quickly adapt to user interests, facilitating the formation of rapidly changing trends and cultures. However, this engagement does not necessarily manifest in active social interactions like liking or commenting but can be more passive or thoughtful.
The paper presents a nuanced understanding of the complexities and dynamics between human agency and machine agency on AI-powered social media platforms like TikTok, shedding light on the multi-faceted nature of user engagement in these digital environments.
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I feel like this article is establishing a nuanced vocabulary for talking about human-machine agency. I really love and appreciate the nuance. For an old school enthusiastic of the long-standing debate about free will, this article is a feast for the mind. In many ways, this is what I love most about this new AI era: the opportunity to reevaluate stock-and-trade philosophical concepts from the standpoint of a newly emergent kind of agency, dare I say consciousness. Keep up the great work. I think you have found an amazing groove of intensity in this series. You are the perfect person to mine it for diamonds!!!
Very interesting! new research is also trying to understand how we "frame" the agent depending on the role he takes on in our life beyond what he actually does.
Sometimes he can be a "servant", other times a "partner" and still others a "snitch" if we feel threatened by privacy. This is especially true if we look at SVAs (Smart Virtual Assistants) like Alexa or Google Home.