New Cognitive Bias Regarding AI (www.rickmanelius.com)

Recent HBR research confirms a cognitive bias many have noticed anecdotally: people interpret the same use of AI very differently depending on the perceived status of the user. When a colleague is seen as smart, senior, or experienced, their use of AI is read as strategic delegation—offloading routine tasks to focus on higher‑order work. When someone is perceived as junior or less competent, identical AI use is often judged as shabby patchwork or “faking it” to cover deficiencies. The study frames this as a status‑contingent perception of AI use that isn’t about the tool itself but about who’s wielding it. This bias matters for AI/ML adoption, team dynamics, evaluation, and fairness. It can skew performance reviews, hiring decisions, and trust in ways that amplify existing inequalities (age, gender, tenure, role). Technical and organizational implications include the need for transparent AI usage policies, standardized evaluation metrics that separate human contribution from tooling effects, and training to mitigate double standards. For researchers and product teams, the finding underscores the importance of studying socio-cognitive factors around AI, not just model accuracy—because perception will shape how tools are used, accepted, and regulated in real workplaces.