# Ownership in AI-Assisted Everyday Tasks

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20658 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.20658/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 28 of its 49 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 17 Sep 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 28 of 28)

- [Can LLMs Generate Novel Research Ideas? A Large-Scale Human Study with 100+ NLP Researchers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.04109/) (2024)
- [Generative artificial intelligence enhances creativity but reduces the diversity of novel content](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.00506/) (2023)
- [Homogenization Effects of Large Language Models on Human Creative Ideation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01536/) (2024)
- [Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.08872/) (2025)
- [Creative Writing with an AI-Powered Writing Assistant: Perspectives from Professional Writers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.05030/) (2022)
- [Shaping Human-AI Collaboration: Varied Scaffolding Levels in Co-writing with Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.11723/) (2024)
- [Can AI writing be salvaged? Mitigating Idiosyncrasies and Improving Human-AI Alignment in the Writing Process through Edits](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.14509/) (2024)
- [The Widening Gap: The Benefits and Harms of Generative AI for Novice Programmers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.17739/) (2024)
- [Conceptual Metaphors Impact Perceptions of Human-AI Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.02311/) (2020)
- [Human Creativity in the Age of LLMs: Randomized Experiments on Divergent and Convergent Thinking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.03703/) (2024)
- [Aligning Language Models with Demonstrated Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.00888/) (2024)
- [The Shrinking Landscape of Linguistic Diversity in the Age of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.11266/) (2025)
- ["If the Machine Is As Good As Me, Then What Use Am I?" -- How the Use of ChatGPT Changes Young Professionals' Perception of Productivity and Accomplishment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.12549/) (2024)
- [Who's in Charge? Disempowerment Patterns in Real-World LLM Usage](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.19062/) (2026)
- [From Pen to Prompt: How Creative Writers Integrate AI into their Writing Practice](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.03137/) (2024)
- ["It was 80% me, 20% AI": Seeking Authenticity in Co-Writing with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.13032/) (2024)
- [Which Contributions Deserve Credit? Perceptions of Attribution in Human-AI Co-Creation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.18357/) (2025)
- [Generative AI and Perceptual Harms: Who's Suspected of using LLMs?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.00906/) (2024)
- [Catch Me If You Can? Not Yet: LLMs Still Struggle to Imitate the Implicit Writing Styles of Everyday Authors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.14543/) (2025)
- [Simulating Psychological Risks in Human-AI Interactions: Real-Case Informed Modeling of AI-Induced Addiction, Anorexia, Depression, Homicide, Psychosis, and Suicide](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.08880/) (2025)
- [Exploring the Collaborative Co-Creation Process with AI: A Case Study in Novice Music Production](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15276/) (2025)
- [People readily follow personal advice from AI but it does not improve their well-being](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.15352/) (2025)
- [Partnering with Generative AI: Experimental Evaluation of Human-Led and Model-Led Interaction in Human-AI Co-Creation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.23324/) (2025)
- [Diverse AI Personas Can Mitigate the Homogenization Effect in Human-AI Collaborative Ideation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.13868/) (2025)
- [Belief Offloading in Human-AI Interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.08754/) (2026)
- [A Paradigm for Creative Ownership](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.15971/) (2025)
- [What Influences Readers' and Writers' Perceived Necessity of AI Disclosure?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.27129/) (2026)
- [Cognitive offloading and the speedup illusion in human-AI interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.23177/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

When does work done with AI still feel like ours? As AI becomes woven into everyday tasks, we must examine what happens to our sense of ownership and contribution when a machine shares in producing what we make. We report an exploratory qualitative survey in which participants were asked to describe two recent, self-selected tasks completed with AI: one that felt like their own and one that did not. We find that felt ownership depends on the process of collaboration: people disown work when they merely approve AI's suggestions, but retain ownership when they lead, iterate, or rewrite. Ownership can also extend to settings where people own the vision for a project but not the execution; respondents reported high ownership on tasks they could not have completed without AI. Loss of personal voice and a lack of comprehension of the output both erode ownership. Finally, willingness to disclose AI use is often decoupled from actual pride or ownership, and instead shaped by community norms and fear of credit erasure. We propose several research directions as a result of these findings to promote AI development that supports people's sense of authorship over their own lives.