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[2602.13283] Accuracy Standards for AI at Work vs. Personal Life: Evidence from an Online Survey
Summary
This article examines how individuals prioritize accuracy in AI tools differently in professional versus personal contexts, based on an online survey of 300 respondents.
Why It Matters
Understanding the varying standards of accuracy for AI in different contexts is crucial for developers and policymakers. It highlights user expectations and the implications for AI design and deployment in both workplace and personal environments, which can inform better AI solutions tailored to user needs.
Key Takeaways
- Users demand higher accuracy from AI in work contexts compared to personal use.
- The gap in accuracy expectations is significant, with 24.1% requiring high accuracy at work versus 8.8% in personal life.
- When AI tools are unavailable, personal routines are disrupted more than work routines.
- Heavy app usage correlates with stricter accuracy standards in professional settings.
- Context-specific reliability is essential for understanding user satisfaction with AI outputs.
Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence arXiv:2602.13283 (cs) [Submitted on 6 Feb 2026] Title:Accuracy Standards for AI at Work vs. Personal Life: Evidence from an Online Survey Authors:Gaston Besanson, Federico Todeschini View a PDF of the paper titled Accuracy Standards for AI at Work vs. Personal Life: Evidence from an Online Survey, by Gaston Besanson and Federico Todeschini View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:We study how people trade off accuracy when using AI-powered tools in professional versus personal contexts for adoption purposes, the determinants of those trade-offs, and how users cope when AI/apps are unavailable. Because modern AI systems (especially generative models) can produce acceptable but non-identical outputs, we define "accuracy" as context-specific reliability: the degree to which an output aligns with the user's intent within a tolerance threshold that depends on stakes and the cost of correction. In an online survey (N=300), among respondents with both accuracy items (N=170), the share requiring high accuracy (top-box) is 24.1% at work vs. 8.8% in personal life (+15.3 pp; z=6.29, p<0.001). The gap remains large under a broader top-two-box definition (67.0% vs. 32.9%) and on the full 1-5 ordinal scale (mean 3.86 vs. 3.08). Heavy app use and experience patterns correlate with stricter work standards (H2). When tools are unavailable (H3), respondents report more disruption in personal routines than at work (34.1% vs. 15.3%, p<0.01). We keep the...