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The effects of artificial intelligence and victims’ deservingness information on citizens’ blame attribution towards administrative errors

  • Lei Tao (Co-first Author)
  • , Jinhan Wan (Co-first Author)
  • , Bo Wen* (Co-first Author)
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

Abstract

This study examines how citizens attribute blame to government authorities for administrative errors made by artificial intelligence (AI) compared to human decision-makers. Based on blame attribution theory, we conducted a vignette-based survey experiment with 1,098 Chinese citizens, revealing that respondents assign less blame for errors caused by AI or AI-assisted decisions. Additionally, disclosing victims’ deservingness information heightened blame attribution. These findings contribute to the literature on administrative accountability, highlighting how citizens respond to AI-related errors and informing the growing use of AI in public sector decision-making. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3104–3124
Number of pages21
JournalPublic Management Review
Volume27
Issue number12
Online published7 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2025

Funding

This work was generously supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Number [72004189], by Dean’s Research Fund of the Education University of Hong Kong under Grant Number [FLASS/DRF/IRS-8], by Start-up Grant of the Education University of Hong Kong under Grant Number [RG 41/2023-2024R], and by the University of Macau’s Start-up Research Grant (SRG) under Grant Number [SRG2024-00005-FSS].

Research Keywords

  • administrative accountability
  • administrative errors
  • Artificial intelligence
  • blame attribution patterns
  • victims’ deservingness information

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