In “AI-Mediated Communication: Definition, Research Agenda, and Ethical Considerations” by Jeffrey T. Hancock, Mor Naaman, & Karen Levy, they discuss the positive and negative effects that Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Communication can have on human language and interaction.
The authors define AI-MC as “mediated communication between people in which a computational agent operates on behalf of a communicator by modifying, augmenting, or generating messages to accomplish communication or interpersonal goals.”
The 5 dimensions of AI-MC are outlined in the text. They are magnitude, media type, optimization goal, autonomy, and role orientation. Magnitude is the amount of changes that the AI programing makes on messages that a user types out. Media type is the medium that AI is functioning in. Optimization goal is the way in which AI wants recipients to perceive their messages i.e. attractive, trustworthy, humorous. Autonomy is the degree to which AI can function on messages without the sender’s presence at the time the message is sent. Lastly, role orientation is the way in which AI is functioning on behalf of the sender and the receiver.
The authors raised the question of whether or not the receivers would be made aware that they were communicating with AI-MC rather than the actual sender. I would be quite frustrated if I thought I had been communicating with a friend or colleague and I was actually receiving automated messages in return. I would definitely have a difficult time learning to trust that individual again. Although I do agree with the authors that in some circumstances disclosing that a message was produced through AI-MC would be a little excessive, I do think there needs to be some regulation on when to reveal that this form of technology is being used. Communication between two individuals whether they are well acquainted or not is very impactful on each individual’s language use and opinions about the other individual. For this reason, I think it would be helpful to send a disclosure message to individuals you communicate with on a regular basis.