Using AI tools like ChatGPT for complex tasks leads people to significantly overestimate their performance, with those who consider themselves more AI-literate being the most overconfident, according to new research from Aalto University. The findings suggest a reversal of the typical Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE) when interacting with large language models (LLMs).

Typically, the DKE describes how low performers tend to overestimate their abilities, while high performers slightly underestimate theirs. However, this study found that all users overestimated their performance when using ChatGPT for logical reasoning tasks, regardless of their actual success rate.