AI shouldn't decide for you, but this one will indicate when you're making a poor choice.

      Researchers at Cornell University have developed an AI tool known as Interactive Explainable Ranking (IER) to help individuals assess their decisions in relation to their personal values.

      Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed by a long list of choices, feeling like your mind has just shut down? You are not alone. The team at Cornell understands this frustration and created IER to assist during those moments—not by making choices for you, but by highlighting when your selections diverge from your stated values.

      How is this tool designed to function?

      IER does not take decision-making away from you; instead, it leverages AI to help ensure your decisions align logically with your values. You can think of it as a reality check for your own reasoning. Research indicates that AI can diminish your problem-solving capabilities in as little as ten minutes, but IER is specifically designed to maintain your control.

      For instance, if you are trying to choose a car, you can inform the tool of the factors that are most important to you, like cost, reliability, and fuel economy. The tool then guides you through a series of direct comparisons, utilizing AI to determine the most relevant questions to pose.

      If your preferences do not correspond with the values you identified, the tool will highlight this inconsistency. For example, if you find yourself consistently selecting red cars without being conscious of it, the tool will bring this trend to your attention and prompt you to either modify your rankings or clarify why color should influence your decision.

      The outcome is a choice that you can rationally justify and defend. Additionally, you have the option to completely disable the AI component for scenarios where its use may feel unsuitable.

      Has this tool been tested in real-world scenarios?

      Yes, its effectiveness has been validated. Researchers conducted two experiments—one in which participants ranked short films, and another where teaching assistants evaluated ten student projects from a Cornell computer graphics course. Both experiments yielded consistent and justifiable results that aligned with existing grades.

      The tool received a Best Paper Award at the ACM CHI conference, which is one of the premier events focused on human-computer interaction. IER is available for public use, so you can try it for your next significant decision.

      This tool is intended for critical decisions rather than everyday low-stakes situations, such as hiring, grading, or competitive selections. As AI already streamlines your time by handling routine tasks, it seems beneficial to invest more thought into the decisions that truly matter.