Sociopathic AI and Reliance on Career Advice: A Vignette Study Comparing Human and AI-Generated Recommendations

This study compares reliance on career advice received from human versus AI advisors, focusing on the role of sociopathic traits attributed to AI. In a factorial vignette experiment, 1648 participants reviewed two vignettes, one involving a human advisor and the other an AI-powered advice system. Overall, the results revealed that participants have a strong preference for human guidance in career choices. Perceptions of AI as sociopathic increased feelings of career threat and reduced perceived career opportunities related to AI, both being significant mediators of a decreased reliance on AI advice. However, when AI was perceived as bringing career opportunities, the negative effect of perceived career threat on AI reliance weakened. These findings add to the concept of “negative anthropomorphism” and provide insights into how attributing sociopathic traits to AI impacts trust and reliance on AI systems for career guidance.