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Delegated Minds: How Generative AI Assistance Alters Psychological Ownership and Responsibility

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) is increasingly embedded in everyday work processes, yet its effects on users’ sense of ownership and responsibility remain unclear. Drawing on psychological ownership theory, we study how genAI use alters the psychological antecedents through which ownership—and thereby accountability—is formed. In a controlled experiment (N = 138), participants completed a writing task either manually or with a GPT-based assistant. We find that genAI use significantly reduced perceived control, self-investment, object knowledge, and self-congruity, which in turn lowered psychological ownership. We also find that psychological ownership fully mediates the negative effect of genAI assistance on perceived responsibility. We reveal that psychological ownership is a mechanism to explain the responsibility gap in human–AI collaboration. Our findings underscore the importance of designing genAI systems that sustain users’ sense of agency and accountability.

Source: Journal of the Association for Information Systems

Authors: Rose, Stefan, Coors, Christopher, Weinmann, Markus

Institutions: University of Cologne, California Institute of Integral Studies

Language: English

Topic: Technology Adoption and User Behaviour

Subfield: Information Systems and Management

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7163842287

FWCI:

Cites: 19

Cited by:

Related to: 10