AI and machine-learning decision aids can be a great support for employees and help them improve their work performance. An overreliance on algorithmic recommendations, on the other hand, may result in a long-term reduction of the employees’ ability to develop and maintain their own decision-making skills. This could be especially problematic when such AI and machine-learning decision aids are not available. Instead of overly relying on such AI-based recommendations, organizations should train their employees to continue developing their critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Hendrik Drachsler and his research partners address this problematic dependency on AI tools and the conflict of interests in the workplace in their newly published article “The Dependency Dilemma: How Machine Learning Decision Aids can Undermine Skill Growth”.
Using a controlled experiment, the authors found that participants who received predictions from a machine-learning decision aid performed better while the system was available. However, once the aid was removed, their performance dropped significantly compared with those who had learned to solve the task independently. The study suggests that relying too heavily on AI can hinder skill development and create a form of “deskilling,” leaving people less prepared when systems fail, become unavailable or encounter unexpected changes.
The researchers also show that trust plays a key role: users who trusted the aid system more tended to rely on it more heavily and experienced larger performance declines after its removal. The findings highlight the need for organizations to balance the productivity benefits of AI with the long-term development of human expertise.
While AI can be a powerful tool to support employees, organizations should ensure that employees continue to practice critical thinking and decision-making skills rather than becoming overly dependent on algorithmic recommendations.
Bauer, K., Nofer, M., Henrich, B., Drachsler, H. & Hinz, O. (2026). The Dependency Dilemma: How Machine Learning Decision Aids can Undermine Skill Growth. Business & Information Systems Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-026-01014-z.