# Corrupted by Algorithms? How AI-generated and Human-written Advice Shape (Dis)honesty

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.01954 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.01954/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 5 Jan 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [It Cannot Be Right If It Was Written by AI: On Lawyers' Preferences of Documents Perceived as Authored by an LLM vs a Human](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.06798/) (2024)
- [Can AI Master Econometrics? Evidence from Econometrics AI Agent on Expert-Level Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.00856/) (2025)
- [Does AI and Human Advice Mitigate Punishment for Selfish Behavior? An Experiment on AI ethics From a Psychological Perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.19487/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly becomes an indispensable advisor. New ethical concerns arise if AI persuades people to behave dishonestly. In an experiment, we study how AI advice (generated by a Natural-Language-Processing algorithm) affects (dis)honesty, compare it to equivalent human advice, and test whether transparency about advice source matters. We find that dishonesty-promoting advice increases dishonesty, whereas honesty-promoting advice does not increase honesty. This is the case for both AI- and human advice. Algorithmic transparency, a commonly proposed policy to mitigate AI risks, does not affect behaviour. The findings mark the first steps towards managing AI advice responsibly.