Author(s)

Zhang Yiling ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Department of Psychology, College of Education, Yanshan Campus, Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi, Guilin, China

Corresponding Author

Zhang Yiling

ABSTRACT

As AI increasingly participates in social decision-making, adolescents' acceptance of AI decisions in moral dilemmas has become central to understanding human–machine ethics. Yet few studies have explored how adolescents respond to utilitarian versus deontological decisions made by different agents. This study used a between-subjects design with 180 middle school students, employing adapted versions of the trolley and footbridge dilemmas. Participants were randomly assigned to either an "AI decision" or "self-decision" condition, and acceptance was rated on a 6-point Likert scale. Results indicated a general adolescent preference for utilitarian outcomes. Furthermore, adolescents with more favorable attitudes toward AI showed greater acceptance of both types of AI decisions. By integrating utilitarian and deontological perspectives, this study offers insights into adolescent moral cognition in the age of intelligent technologies and underscores the need for ethically aligned AI system design.

KEYWORDS

Artificial Intelligence, Moral Dilemma, Utilitarianism, Deontology

CITE THIS PAPER

Zhang Yiling, Adolescents' Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence in Moral Dilemmas. Applied & Educational Psychology (2025) Vol. 6: 41-45. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/appep.2025.060306.

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