Confident, Not Wiser: The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Human-AI Interaction

Abstract: AI assistance can improve performance without improving self-assessment. We report a study (N=366) comparing Human alone and Human+AI performance on reasoning tasks, for which the AI model is benchmarked on the same items. Participants estimated global and block performance and rated confidence in their answers. Human+AI achieved higher scores, but self-estimates tracked performance weakly. Average overestimation was similar across groups, covering individual errors. Across tasks, confidence distinguished correct from incorrect answers less accurately in the Human+AI group, while within-task differences remained uncertain. The Dunning-Kruger pattern was found in both groups, with a larger observed contrast in Human+AI. Controls for score noise reduced but did not eliminate the pattern, with the controlled group difference remaining inconclusive. An extended computational account describes global and block estimates. Our findings distinguish performance augmentation from metacognitive augmentation and motivate interfaces that support verification, communicate task-specific AI model performance, and help users evaluate the quality of their joint work rather than produce answers.