AI-Induced Dehumanization: Uncovering a Dark Side of Assimilation

Research shows that interacting with emotionally intelligent AI can lead people to perceive humans as less human, increasing the risk of mistreatment; this phenomenon, called assimilation-induced dehumanization, occurs when AI's humanlike qualities blur the line between humans and machines, especially when AI displays moderate emotional skills, but reverses when AI capabilities are extreme or purely cognitive.