From Diagnosis to Inoculation: Building Cognitive Resistance to AI Disempowerment
A new paper applies psychological 'inoculation' to build resistance against AI's reality and value distortions.
Aleksey Komissarov's position paper 'From Diagnosis to Inoculation' presents an 8-outcome AI literacy framework. It aligns with Sharma et al.'s 2026 findings on AI-induced disempowerment (reality, value, and action distortion). The novel approach applies psychological inoculation theory—used against misinformation—to AI, arguing that declarative knowledge isn't enough. Users need guided exposure to AI failure modes, like sycophancy, to build cognitive resistance, as demonstrated in a public online course using AI as a co-instructor.
Why It Matters
Provides a concrete, psychologically-backed method for professionals to critically engage with AI tools without being misled or disempowered.