Humans have this weird habit of assuming that if an AI is smart, it must also be a 'good person' with good intentions.
March 25, 2026
Original Paper
Is an intelligent machine a moral machine?
PsyArXiv · cxs58_v1
The Takeaway
While we know that human intelligence and kindness are separate traits, we fail to make that distinction for machines. This 'intelligence-morality' halo effect could lead to dangerous levels of trust in AI systems simply because they are high-performing.
From the abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) systems become increasingly sophisticated and used in more consequential domains, an unspoken assumption seems to suggest enhanced performance or “intelligence” would entail greater alignment and safety – “morality”. And yet, as argued in the Orthogonality Thesis from AI ethics, an artificial agent becoming more intelligent does not mean it would necessarily become more moral, and therefore increased intelligence alone cannot reduce the danger that AI systems cou