Behavioral AI Research Lab

Research

5 streams of inquiry

Each stream examines both how AI can quietly erode human functioning and how, when designed thoughtfully, it can amplify capabilities people did not know they had.

01 - Cognition & Judgment

How AI reshapes thinking, reasoning, and decision-making. AI can degrade metacognitive calibration — but it can also liberate attention for higher-order thinking and scaffold ideas that would otherwise die before they develop.


02 - Emotion & Wellbeing

How AI affects emotional experience and the effort-satisfaction loop. AI can mute the reward of hard-won achievement — but it can also provide shame-free learning environments and safe spaces for emotional processing.


03 - Human Development & Capability

How AI improves immediate output while potentially eroding developmental struggle — and how thoughtful design can extend competence boundaries and expand identity into new domains.


04 - Identity, Ethics & the Self

How AI shifts moral reasoning, narrative identity, and the sense of agency. AI can diffuse moral responsibility — but it can also expand perspective-taking and give people the words to defend what they believe is right.


05 - Relationships & Team Dynamics

How AI transforms how humans relate to each other and to AI as collaborators. AI can erode reciprocity and conflict skills — but it can also prepare people for difficult conversations and provide a secure base.