AI agency vs. human agency: understanding human–AI interactions on TikTok and their implications for user engagement

TLDR

Artificial intelligence has reshaped social media experiences, and outcomes depend on how users collaborate with AI that exercises agency. The study investigates how TikTok users collaborate with AI and how these dynamics shape user engagement. The authors conducted in‑depth interviews with TikTok users to examine AI–user collaboration. Users are receptive to personalized experiences, deliberately influence algorithms, and AI facilitates content creation and networking, which together enhance medium and social‑interactive engagement and deepen understanding of human–machine agency dynamics.

Abstract

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has vastly reshaped user experiences on social media. AI-powered social media use and its outcomes largely depend on how users collaborate with AI that exercises agency. Through in-depth interviews with TikTok users, this study investigates how users collaborate with AI when using AI-powered social media and how such dynamics shape user engagement. We found that TikTok users are receptive to personalized experiences enabled by machine agency. However, by influencing each other, user agency and machine agency also led to user–AI synergy. Users deliberately influence content curation algorithms to make them cater more precisely to their needs; AI also facilitates users’ content creation and networking. Such AI–user collaboration on TikTok significantly influences medium engagement and social-interactive engagement. These findings advance our understanding of the dynamics between human agency and machine agency and, thus, how AI transforms user experiences on social media.