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[2602.13625] Anthropomorphism on Risk Perception: The Role of Trust and Domain Knowledge in Decision-Support AI
Summary
This article explores how anthropomorphism in AI influences risk perception through trust and domain knowledge, based on a large-scale online experiment.
Why It Matters
Understanding the impact of anthropomorphism on user trust and risk perception is crucial for designing effective decision-support AI systems. This research provides insights that can enhance user engagement and improve the reliability of AI in critical decision-making contexts.
Key Takeaways
- Anthropomorphism can reduce perceived risk by enhancing cognitive and affective trust.
- Domain knowledge significantly moderates the effects of anthropomorphism on risk perception.
- Users with low domain knowledge may experience negative effects from anthropomorphic designs.
- The findings have implications for designing responsible AI systems that calibrate trust effectively.
- This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of human-AI interaction.
Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction arXiv:2602.13625 (cs) [Submitted on 14 Feb 2026] Title:Anthropomorphism on Risk Perception: The Role of Trust and Domain Knowledge in Decision-Support AI Authors:Manuele Reani, Xiangyang He, Zuolan Bao View a PDF of the paper titled Anthropomorphism on Risk Perception: The Role of Trust and Domain Knowledge in Decision-Support AI, by Manuele Reani and 1 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Anthropomorphic design is routinely used to make conversational agents more approachable and engaging. Yet its influence on users' perceptions remains poorly understood. Drawing on psychological theories, we propose that anthropomorphism influences risk perception via two complementary forms of trust, and that domain knowledge moderates these relationships. To test our model, we conducted a large-scale online experiment (N = 1,256) on a financial decision-support system implementing different anthropomorphic designs. We found that anthropomorphism indirectly reduces risk perception by increasing both cognitive and affective trust. Domain knowledge moderates these paths: participants with low financial knowledge experience a negative indirect effect of perceived anthropomorphism on risk perception via cognitive trust, whereas those with high financial knowledge exhibit a positive direct and indirect effect. We discuss theoretical contributions to human-AI interaction and design implications for calibrating trust in anthropomorph...
