Should you show the AI's confidence?

What the research says

Showing a confidence score helped people trust the AI more when it was right and less when it was wrong. But it didn't automatically improve final decisions. The goal is trust that matches how reliable the AI really is, not maximum trust.

So design it like this: Show confidence where it varies meaningfully case to case, and visually flag low-confidence answers.

Papers

Effect of Confidence and Explanation on Accuracy and Trust Calibration in AI-Assisted Decision Making
Yunfeng Zhang, Q. Vera Liao, Rachel K. E. Bellamy · 2020 · FAT* 2020
Trust in Automation: Designing for Appropriate Reliance
John D. Lee, Katrina A. See · 2004 · Human Factors

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