AI as Arbiter? The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cyberbullying Report Review Process

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly encroaching on domains traditionally reserved for humans, including moral judgment. This trend has sparked heated debates, with both strong concerns and optimism about its implications. To contribute to this discourse, this research examines how individuals respond when AI participates in moral evaluations of cyberbullying incidents. We conducted an experiment employing 3 (Reviewer cue: human vs. AI vs. collaboration) × 2 (Roles in cyberbullying incident: victim vs. bystander) between-subjects design. Findings show that the AI reviewer cue indirectly increased perceived decision compliance, report efficacy, and future report intention by activating positive machine heuristics. However, negative machine heuristics did not mediate the effects of AI reviewer cues on perceived report efficacy and future report intention. Human–AI collaboration did not differ significantly from either AI-only or human-only reviewer cues. In addition, although the interaction effect was not significant, planned contrasts suggest that victims may be more likely to perceive the AI reviewer as lacking contextual understanding, whereas bystanders may view it as more objective. This highlights the challenges of using AI-driven judgment in sensitive areas such as cyberbullying, emphasizing the need for practical improvements to enhance reporting systems.