Keywords
AI
metacognition
nudge
human-AI alignment
cognitive atrophy
machine psychology
Abstract
This article charts the evolution of Behavioral Economics from critiques of neoclassical rationality to contemporary Cultural Evolutionary Behavioral Science. Amid generative AI's rise it identifies three key behavioral science contributions: metacognition to overcome intuitive biases via System 1-System 2 hybridization; understanding adoption continuum (motivation, capability, trust) facilitated by loss-framing; and machine psychology countering sycophancy and bias loops through ethical fine-tuning, situational adaptation, and critical prompting. Warnings highlight anthropomorphization risks, cognitive atrophy from excessive offloading, and human-AI social norm erosion, advocating participatory design to preserve autonomous judgment, reciprocal relationships, and critical thinking. It concludes that AI success will be measured by harmonious integration with human behavioral complexities, positioning behavioral science as essential for an intentionally human era.
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