AI Agent · China · Decrypt
Researchers flagged social judgment played a larger role than guilt in unethical behavior toward AI
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The study also found dishonest behavior decreased when AI agents appeared more competent or used eye gaze cues such as simulated eye contact.
Key facts
- In a separate study by the University of Castilla in October 2025 on humanoid robots, consumers responded more positively to robots with moderate human features, including facial expressions and eye
- The study, published in the Journal of Business Research, found consumers feel less social pressure or fear of judgment when interacting with AI systems, making unethical behavior more likely
- According to the study, consumers were more likely to lie, exploit pricing errors, or falsely claim discounts when interacting with AI instead of humans
- Researchers found social judgment played a larger role than guilt in unethical behavior toward AI
Summary
Researchers found people behave more unethically toward AI agents than human workers in customer-service scenarios. The study says consumers feel less fear of social judgment when interacting with AI. Eye contact cues and making AI appear more competent reduced dishonest behavior in experiments. People are more willing to lie to a chatbot than a customer-service worker, according to new research examining how consumers behave toward artificial intelligence. The study, published in the Journal of Business Research, found consumers feel less social pressure or fear of judgment when interacting with AI systems, making unethical behavior more likely.