What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore people's normative attitudes towards AI capabilities and their implications for acceptance in various roles.

February 6, 2026Open Access

AI Humanizers, Pragmatists, Skeptics: A Cluster Analysis of Normative Attitudes for AI’s Capabilities and Roles

Key Points

The aim is to explore people's normative attitudes towards AI capabilities and their implications for acceptance in various roles.
Surveyed 601 participants about their attitudes toward AI.
Used two-step clustering to group participants based on attitudes.
Identified three groups: AI humanizers, pragmatists, and skeptics.
Three clusters emerged: AI humanizers expect empathy from AI.
AI pragmatists anticipate cognitive capabilities from AI.
AI skeptics prefer limited human-like traits in AI, focusing on task completion.

Abstract

This study explores people’s attitudes about artificial intelligence’s (AI) capabilities through a normative lens. Drawing from literature on phenomenological, ontological, and heuristic judgments about machines, we aim to better understand what capabilities people think AI should be able to have and how that relates to enthusiasm about having AI take certain roles in their lives. Survey participants (N = 601) were grouped via two-step clustering based on their attitudes, revealing three clusters: AI humanizers, who expect empathy and social interaction from AI; AI pragmatists, who expect cognitive capabilities; and AI skeptics, who prefer AI with limited human-like traits and emphasize task-oriented roles. Further analyses showed that AI cluster membership, along with AI threat perceptions, had a significant influence on enthusiasm for AI across different roles.

AI Humanizers, Pragmatists, Skeptics: A Cluster Analysis of Normative Attitudes for AI’s Capabilities and Roles

Key Points

Abstract

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