🔮 People Who Believe in Horoscopes Trust AI Just as Easily

That's the takeaway from an experiment by MIT student Eunhae Lee. She recruited 238 volunteers to play an investment game where they had to allocate money between stocks with high, medium, or low risk and return.

Before the game started, participants were asked to provide their birth date "for a horoscope" and complete a personality test. They were also informed that an AI system would analyze their investment decision-making process.

After the game, participants received three "predictions" about their investing style, supposedly from an astrologer, a psychologist, and an AI. Half received positive feedback, while the other half received negative feedback. They were asked to rate how accurate and trustworthy each prediction seemed. What they didn't know was that the texts were completely generic and had nothing to do with their personality.

❗️ The findings showed that people who rated the "astrologer" or "psychologist" highly were also more likely to trust the "AI." Positive statements like "You're a rational investor destined for success" were perceived as more accurate than negative ones like "You're impulsive and likely to earn low returns." Analytical thinking skills didn't significantly affect trust, but belief in the paranormal and a generally positive attitude toward AI did.

💡 The researcher connects these results to the Barnum effect—our tendency to see vague, general statements (like horoscopes) as uniquely personal and accurate, especially when they're flattering.

In real life, this means people may overtrust AI advice when it sounds positive. That's why chatbots, especially in sensitive areas like healthcare or finance, should be designed to encourage critical thinking.

Who do you trust more?

❤️ — A horoscope
🔥 — A chatbot
😎 — Just myself

@hiaimediaen