Generative AI In Knowledge Work – A Breeding Ground For The Illusion Of Expertise and The Erosion Of Responsibility?
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools are increasingly adopted by knowledge workers, promising efficiency and quality gains, but they are also introducing perceptual risks. We present the design and results of a pre-study that investigates two such risks: the Illusion of Expertise, where professionals show inflated confidence in the quality of their GAI-assisted outputs, and the Erosion of Responsibility, where their felt responsibility decreases when assisted by GAI. An online experiment with knowledge workers was designed, and a respective pre-study was conducted. Participants completed a writing task under GAI-assisted and non-assisted conditions, followed by self-reporting confidence and responsibility perceptions, with initial findings indicating significant differences. The study was theoretically grounded in expectation effects and cognitive biases as well as attribution theory. As such, it aims to contribute to the information systems domain by conceptualising these perceptual risks as compounding phenomena. Furthermore, it aims to offer practical guidance on safeguarding quality assurance.
Institution: International University of Monaco
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163849724