research-article

Machine Heuristic: When We Trust Computers More than Humans with Our Personal Information

Authors:

S. Shyam Sundar,

Jinyoung KimAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Paper No.: 538, Pages 1 - 9

https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300768

Published: 02 May 2019 Publication History

Abstract

In this day and age of identity theft, are we likely to trust machines more than humans for handling our personal information? We answer this question by invoking the concept of "machine heuristic," which is a rule of thumb that machines are more secure and trustworthy than humans. In an experiment (N = 160) that involved making airline reservations, users were more likely to reveal their credit card information to a machine agent than a human agent. We demonstrate that cues on the interface trigger the machine heuristic by showing that those with higher cognitive accessibility of the heuristic (i.e., stronger prior belief in the rule of thumb) were more likely than those with lower accessibility to disclose to a machine, but they did not differ in their disclosure to a human. These findings have implications for design of interface cues conveying machine vs. human sources of our online interactions.

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Cited By

Yun JNoh G(2025)Effects of Message Interactivity, Information Accuracy, and Attractiveness on Information Sharing Intention in Generative AIJournal of Digital Contents Society10.9728/dcs.2025.26.1.12326:1(123-133)Online publication date: 31-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.9728/dcs.2025.26.1.123
Frederick ALin XEdwards CEdwards A(2025)AI and human generation of classroom content: adult learners’ perceptionsCommunication Education10.1080/03634523.2025.2466502(1-14)Online publication date: 20-Feb-2025
https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2025.2466502
Kim S(2025)Perceptions of discriminatory decisions of artificial intelligenceInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103387194:COnline publication date: 1-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103387
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Index Terms

Machine Heuristic: When We Trust Computers More than Humans with Our Personal Information
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI
2. Security and privacy
  1. Human and societal aspects of security and privacy

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 2019

9077 pages

ISBN:9781450359702

DOI:10.1145/3290605

General Chairs:
Stephen Brewster
University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
,
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
TU Wien, Austria
,
Program Chairs:
Anna Cox
University College London, UK
,
Vassilis Kostakos
University of Melbourne, Australia

Copyright © 2019 ACM.

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Published: 02 May 2019

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Cited By

Yun JNoh G(2025)Effects of Message Interactivity, Information Accuracy, and Attractiveness on Information Sharing Intention in Generative AIJournal of Digital Contents Society10.9728/dcs.2025.26.1.12326:1(123-133)Online publication date: 31-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.9728/dcs.2025.26.1.123
Frederick ALin XEdwards CEdwards A(2025)AI and human generation of classroom content: adult learners’ perceptionsCommunication Education10.1080/03634523.2025.2466502(1-14)Online publication date: 20-Feb-2025
https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2025.2466502
Kim S(2025)Perceptions of discriminatory decisions of artificial intelligenceInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103387194:COnline publication date: 1-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103387
Sun NBotev J(2024)Digital Partnerships: Understanding Delegation and Interaction With Virtual AgentsNavigating the Metaverse - A Comprehensive Guide to the Future of Digital Interaction [Working Title]10.5772/intechopen.1006301Online publication date: 13-Aug-2024
https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1006301
Jia CLee T(2024)Journalistic interventions matter: Understanding how Americans perceive fact-checking labelsHarvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review10.37016/mr-2020-138Online publication date: 11-Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-138
Gu CJia SLai JChen RChang X(2024)Exploring Consumer Acceptance of AI-Generated Advertisements: From the Perspectives of Perceived Eeriness and Perceived IntelligenceJournal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research10.3390/jtaer1903010819:3(2218-2238)Online publication date: 3-Sep-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer19030108
Lermann Henestrosa AKimmerle J(2024)Data Descriptor for “Understanding and Perception of Automated Text Generation among the Public: Two Surveys with Representative Samples in Germany”Data10.3390/data91001169:10(116)Online publication date: 11-Oct-2024
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Lermann Henestrosa AKimmerle J(2024)Understanding and Perception of Automated Text Generation among the Public: Two Surveys with Representative Samples in GermanyBehavioral Sciences10.3390/bs1405035314:5(353)Online publication date: 23-Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050353
Lauharatanahirun NWom AHwang A(2024)External and Internal Attribution in Human-Agent Interaction: Insights from Neuroscience and Virtual RealityHuman-Machine Communication10.30658/hmc.8.68(119-139)Online publication date: 2024
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Peng WLee HLim S(2024)Leveraging Chatbots to Combat Health Misinformation for Older Adults: Participatory Design StudyJMIR Formative Research10.2196/607128(e60712)Online publication date: 11-Oct-2024
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