Likelihood of Questioning AI-based Recommendations Due to Perceived Racial/Gender Bias

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are giving rise to a multitude of AI-embedded technologies that are increasingly impacting all aspects of modern society. Yet, there is a paucity of rigorous research that advances understanding of when, and which type of, individuals are more likely to question AI-based recommendations due to perceived racial and gender bias. This study, which is part of a larger research stream contributes to knowledge by using a scenario-based survey that was issued to a sample of 387 U.S. participants. The findings suggest that, considering perceived racial and gender bias, Human Resource (HR) recruitment and financial product/service procurement scenarios exhibit a higher questioning likelihood. Meanwhile, the healthcare scenario presents the lowest questioning likelihood. Furthermore, in the context of this study, U.S. participants tend to be more susceptible to questioning AI-based recommendations due to perceived racial bias rather than gender bias.