Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments

Abstract Large language models (LLM) have been a catalyst for the public interest in artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies perform some knowledge-based tasks better and faster than human beings. However, whether AIs can correctly assess social situations and devise socially appropriate be...

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Main Authors: Justin M. Mittelstädt, Julia Maier, Panja Goerke, Frank Zinn, Michael Hermes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-11-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79048-0
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author Justin M. Mittelstädt
Julia Maier
Panja Goerke
Frank Zinn
Michael Hermes
author_facet Justin M. Mittelstädt
Julia Maier
Panja Goerke
Frank Zinn
Michael Hermes
author_sort Justin M. Mittelstädt
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Large language models (LLM) have been a catalyst for the public interest in artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies perform some knowledge-based tasks better and faster than human beings. However, whether AIs can correctly assess social situations and devise socially appropriate behavior, is still unclear. We conducted an established Situational Judgment Test (SJT) with five different chatbots and compared their results with responses of human participants (N = 276). Claude, Copilot and you.com’s smart assistant performed significantly better than humans in proposing suitable behaviors in social situations. Moreover, their effectiveness rating of different behavior options aligned well with expert ratings. These results indicate that LLMs are capable of producing adept social judgments. While this constitutes an important requirement for the use as virtual social assistants, challenges and risks are still associated with their wide-spread use in social contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-7dc4e0ec09424376a76d85971f75a6e22024-11-10T12:26:26ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-11-0114111010.1038/s41598-024-79048-0Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgmentsJustin M. Mittelstädt0Julia Maier1Panja Goerke2Frank Zinn3Michael Hermes4Department of Aviation and Space Psychology, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace MedicineDepartment of Aviation and Space Psychology, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace MedicineDepartment of Aviation and Space Psychology, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace MedicineDepartment of Aviation and Space Psychology, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace MedicineDepartment of Aviation and Space Psychology, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace MedicineAbstract Large language models (LLM) have been a catalyst for the public interest in artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies perform some knowledge-based tasks better and faster than human beings. However, whether AIs can correctly assess social situations and devise socially appropriate behavior, is still unclear. We conducted an established Situational Judgment Test (SJT) with five different chatbots and compared their results with responses of human participants (N = 276). Claude, Copilot and you.com’s smart assistant performed significantly better than humans in proposing suitable behaviors in social situations. Moreover, their effectiveness rating of different behavior options aligned well with expert ratings. These results indicate that LLMs are capable of producing adept social judgments. While this constitutes an important requirement for the use as virtual social assistants, challenges and risks are still associated with their wide-spread use in social contexts.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79048-0
spellingShingle Justin M. Mittelstädt
Julia Maier
Panja Goerke
Frank Zinn
Michael Hermes
Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments
Scientific Reports
title Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments
title_full Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments
title_fullStr Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments
title_full_unstemmed Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments
title_short Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments
title_sort large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79048-0
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