Commentary on ‘Algorithms and Authenticity’ by Arthur S. Jago

We comment on Arthur S. Jago’s recent article in Academy of Management Discoveries on algorithms and authenticity. Jago documents a compelling — and even startling — new set of empirical findings. He finds that when encountering products or services delivered by artificial intelligence algorithms, individuals often react and interpret the interaction through the lens of authenticity. Compared to humans, an algorithm’s perceived authenticity is lower, although most of this occurs because of low perceived moral authenticity. To restate casually, individuals are fine with algorithms performing analytical functions but less happy when they are doing things that people believe should take into account the values and moral principles inherent in sentient beings. We attempt to locate this excellent study in the tradition of authenticity and emphasize the distinction between type authenticity and moral authenticity.