Humans progressively feel agency over events triggered before their actions

In this study, researchers investigate whether our sense of agency, or our feeling of control over events, can adapt to a situation where a consequence precedes an action. They used an online game where players had to click on a target to trigger an animation, but an algorithm actually triggered the animation before the players’ click. The researchers found that within an hour, the players learned that they were controlling the animation, despite the unusual timing, and adapted their sense of agency accordingly. These findings may give insight into how humans will integrate AI-assistance in the future. There are no competing interests declared by the authors.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.01.569449v1

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