Artificial Stupidity and Coping Strategies

Abstract

While artificial intelligence (AI) is supposed to augment the capability of human beings, paradoxically, it could also dehumanize, suppress, and demobilize them and result in mistakes, failures, and even disasters, actually manifesting itself in some forms of artificial stupidity (AS). This article dissects two basic types of artificial stupidity -- replacement and enslavement -- and suggests corresponding coping strategies. Replacement happens when human efforts and intelligence are entirely replaced by AI, which could result in a lack of human sensitivity, overlooking interdependencies and firm-specificity, and the inability to deal with extreme challenges. Enslavement happens through dehumanization, suppression, and alienation of human users of AI. Coping strategies to remedy AS include improving the training data, machine learning process, and the learning of firm-specific knowledge through supervised learning, fostering AI-user fit and complementarity, and building trust and understanding between AI and its users.