Are you intrigued by the profound effects of Generative AI (GenAI) on human behavior? Do you want to explore how GenAI might be reshaping our confidence levels and decision-making processes? If you are passionate about understanding the intersection between AI, psychology, and societal challenges, we invite you to embark on a master's thesis journey focusing on the impact of GenAI on human overconfidence.

The thesis aims to investigate the dual effects of GenAI on learning and overconfidence. You will explore how GenAI influences people's self-perception of their knowledge and abilities, particularly in both familiar (in-domain) and unfamiliar (out-domain) settings. The research will involve designing and conducting experiments to measure the extent of overconfidence induced by GenAI and its potential implications. Key objectives include:

• Developing a comprehensive experimental framework to assess the overconfidence effect of GenAI.
• Comparing in-domain and out-domain scenarios to understand the variations in overconfidence.
• Analyzing the impact of task difficulty disclosure on participants' confidence levels.
• Evaluating the performance outcomes of participants after using GenAI tools.

Potential research methods could include:

• Designing controlled experiments with varied difficulty levels and risk factors.
• Conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses of participant behavior and performance.
• Utilizing surveys and interviews to gather insights on participants' perceptions and decision-making processes.

You should:

• Have a keen interest in the psychological and societal implications of AI technologies.
• Be capable of independently driving the research while effectively managing your time.
• Demonstrate strong analytical and experimental design skills.
• Show a commitment to detailed and precise research methodologies.
• Possess excellent academic writing skills in English.

• Personalized guidance and mentoring by Dr. Edona Elshan and Dr. Franesco Balocco, including regular progress reviews and feedback sessions.
• Flexibility to commence your thesis at your earliest convenience, with an expected completion timeline of 6 months – 12 months.
• Opportunity to collaborate with researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
• Opportunities to publish your work in academic forums, subject to the significance and quality of your findings.

To apply for this exciting research opportunity, please provide the following via e-mail to e.elshan@vu.nl:

• Your current CV
• Academic transcripts