Outperformed by AI: Interacting with Superhuman AI Changes the Way We Perceive Ourselves

With AI increasingly exceeding human performance in previously quintessential human domains, the question posed in this study is how interacting with 'superhuman' AI will affect how we define 1) ourselves as human beings, and 2) our relationship towards the technology. To address this question, we conducted two playful quasi-experimental studies (Ntotal = 349). In both experiments, participants interacted with an AI system, and were, or were not, outperformed by it. Results consistently show that when AI outperformed the participants, they felt inferior, experienced less agency (control over the situation), and had a less positive attitude towards the AI system. This suggests that interaction with intelligent machines may well redefine our perceptions of what it means to be human in the long run and determine how we act towards this technology.