Emotions and values as predictors of latent profiles of beliefs about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) among high school students

Wygłosiła: Oliwia Kosecka

Na: International Sopot Youth Conference 2025: Where the World is Heading

Data: 23.05.2025r.

---

Streszczenie:

As AI becomes increasingly central to most life domains, understanding people’s attitudes
toward it and their predictors is crucial. Previous research has shown that people have mixed
feelings about AI and that beliefs about AI are associated with specific attitudes towards it
and traits. Typically, experienced emotions and values play an important role in formulating
attitudes and behaviors. This study examined how adolescents view artificial general
intelligence (AGI) and its development, and how their emotions and values predict those views.
A total of 658 high school students participated in the study. A latent profile analysis was
conducted based on two variables: the belief that AI will achieve a level of human thinking
and the belief that emotions will guide it. The results identified four profiles: (i) “AGI
Scientists,” who believe that AI will reach human-level thinking and be guided by emotions
(16.3%); (ii) “AGI Functionalists,” who believe that AI will reach the level of human thinking
but will not be guided by emotions (14.4%); (iii) “AGI Skeptics,” who believe that AI will
neither achieve the level of human thinking nor be guided by emotions (20.2%); and (iv) “AGI
Realists,” who are more balanced and uncertain on both counts (49.1%). These profiles showed
differences in terms of values of tradition and benevolence, as well as emotions of guilt, sadness,
and affection. The results suggest that emotions and values may contribute to shaping attitudes
toward AI.