Understanding the impact AI has on users can help developers derive a needs assessment of how AI can empower individuals to lead better lives. This human centred approach is pertinent as it can be used to tailor the design of AI’s to ensure it brings about positive change. Notably, an understanding of the core human computer relationship can help us map the affordances of AI, and how it extends the capabilities of individuals. This illustrates the key principles of the extension of self approach, which advocates that people amalgamate with the technology they own to extend aspects of themselves such as their mind, body, environment and possessions (Shaw et al., 2018). This requires an understanding of how technology features (such as information searching) interact with human factors (such as time and attention limitations) to extend the capabilities of individuals. If this extension helps people achieve their intrinsic motivations (internal drives) and extrinsic motivations (external rewards) then this will encourage use of the AI (Shaw et al., 2018). For example, if a person can offload some thinking and cognitive processing to an AI, then this will extend a person’s mind and mental capabilities.
However, it is also possible for technologies to subtract from individuals and thus cause negative impacts which are not supportive of a user’s goals and drives (Shaw et al., 2018). Using the four types of extension, we need to consider how AI can cause a loss of mind, body, environment and possessions. Aspects such as de-skilling individuals due to AI’s ability to conduct both mental and physical tasks illustrates one way AI can lead to loss of “mind and body”. However, this taxonomy of human extension/subtraction in relation to AI requires further work to truly understand the impact AI has on individuals.
Shaw, H., Ellis, D. A., & Ziegler, F. V. (2018). The Technology Integration Model (TIM). Predicting the continued use of technology. Computers in Human Behavior, 83, 204–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.001