Postgraduate Researchers

PhD Research Student - Social Sciences, Law, and Education

Project Title: AI-Facilitated Collective Intelligence and Bias in Group Decision-Making

Project Abstract: 

Artificial intelligence systems designed to support group decision-making present a documented paradox: rather than consistently enhancing collective intelligence, they can systematically diminish it. Empirical research has demonstrated that algorithmic curation reduces exposure to diverse perspectives, while digital influence mechanisms suppress the independence of individual judgements, both of which are critical conditions for effective collective reasoning. This project investigates the mechanisms through which AI interventions shape collective decision processes, with particular focus on anchoring effects, information cascading, and the friction between human judgement and algorithmic recommendations. A further dimension of inquiry concerns why identical AI tools produce divergent outcomes across settings: not as a result of technical differences, but because of how they interact with existing social structures, cultural norms, and distributions of authority, including how information flows, whose voices are heard, and how decision-making power is allocated within groups. The project employs a multi-method design incorporating controlled experiments and computational modelling. The intended contribution is a theoretically grounded and empirically validated framework for understanding the conditions under which AI interventions support or undermine collective intelligence across varied group compositions and task types. 

Supervisors: Professor Taha Yasseri

Funder: Workday