Automation bias

Tendency to believe decisions from an automated decision making system have more accuracy. And even ignore contradictory information made without automation.

Cause

• the human tendency to choose the least cognitive approach to decision-making
• the tendency of humans to view automated aids as having an analytical ability superior to their own
• the tendency of humans to reduce their own effort when sharing tasks, either with another person or with an automated aid

Consequences

It can lead to lack of monitoring of the automated system or blind agreement with an automation suggestion.

This has become a growing problem for decision making as intensive care units, nuclear power plants, and aircraft cockpits have increasingly integrated computerized system monitors and decision aids to mostly factor out possible human error.