To disclose or not to disclose—that is the question, at least when it comes to the use of AI. However, according to recent research from the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, when it comes to disclosing AI usage, “being honest about using AI can actually make people trust you less.”

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Researchers Martin Reimann, associate professor of marketing, and Oliver Schilke, professor of management and organizations, recently conducted 13 experiments involving more than 5,000 participants. The results consistently found that revealing AI use led to a drop in trust.

Reimann and Schilke studied multiple instances in which people might use AI, and in each case, those who disclosed AI use were trusted less. For example, trust from students dropped 16% when they learned a professor used AI for grading; investors trusted firms 18% less when ads disclosed AI use, and clients placed 20% less trust in graphic designers who disclosed AI use.

For their study, the researchers collected data on how familiar respondents were with AI and how often they used technology. They also sought to determine if different methods of disclosing AI could mitigate its impact. They did so by using softer language surrounding the disclosure, such as saying AI was only used for proofreading or that a human reviewed the AI’s output.

Still, in all cases, trust levels dipped. Worse yet, however, was the situation where disclosure was not offered yet discovered.

“Trust drops even further if somebody else exposes you after using an AI detector or finding out about it some other way,” Schilke explains. “If a third party goes in and shares that you used AI, that’s the worst possible outcome as far as trust is concerned.”

Based on their study, the researchers believe that trust erosion often reaches beyond the individual level and can damage a team’s cohesion or a brand’s credibility.

“Organizations need to decide whether to make disclosure policies mandatory or voluntary, and prepare employees for the trust implications either way,” Reimann says, adding, “I personally find this technology amazing. But it’s not just about what AI can do, it’s about how it impacts human relationships.”

News story interviews and live television segments can be arranged with Reimann and Schilke, during which they can further discuss their research and the results of their study.

For more about the Eller College of Management, visit https://eller.arizona.edu.