Research
Please find my publications and work in progress below.
Keywords mark topic and methodology
Publications
Knowing (Not) to Know: Explainable Artificial Intelligence and Human Metacognition
with Moritz von Zahn, Ekaterina Jussupow, Oliver Hinz and Kevin Bauer (2026)
Information Systems Research, 37(3), 1485–1507.
Explainable AI Human-AI Collaboration Lab-in-the-field experiment
Abstract
The use of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to render black-box artificial intelligence (AI) more interpretable to humans is gaining practical relevance. Prior research has shown that XAI can influence how humans “think”. Yet, little is known about whether XAI also affects how people “think about their thinking” (i.e., their metacognitive processes). We address this gap by investigating whether XAI affects metacognitive processes that guide human confidence judgments about their ability to perform a task and thereby, their decision whether to delegate the task to AI. We conducted two incentivized experiments in which domain experts repeatedly performed prediction tasks, with the option to delegate each task to an AI. We exogenously varied whether participants initially received explanations about AI’s overall prediction logic. We find that AI explanations improve how well humans understand their own ability to perform the task (metacognitive accuracy). This improvement causally increases both the frequency and effectiveness of human-to-AI delegation. Additional analyses show that these effects primarily occur when explanations reveal to humans that AI’s prediction logic diverges from their own, leading to a systematic reduction of overconfidence. Our findings highlight metacognitive processes as a central, previously overlooked channel through which AI explanations can influence human-AI collaboration. We discuss practical implications of our results for organizations implementing XAI to comply with regulatory transparency requirements as, for example, outlined in the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act.
Can GPT Mimic Human Preferences? An Empirical and Structural Investigation
with Kevin Bauer and Michael Kosfeld (2025)
Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2025)
Machine Behavior Human-AI Collaboration LLM experiment
Abstract
We examine the depth of large language models’ (LLMs) potential to serve as tools for simulating human decision-making processes. Using GPT-4 Turbo in a sequential prisoner’s dilemma, we find significant discrepancies between LLM-generated and human behaviors: GPT consistently exhibits a higher propensity to cooperate and forms overly optimistic expectations of human cooperation, leading to outcomes that diverge from observed human decision-making patterns. Yet, GPT’s decisions do not appear random; they align with a formal model of human preferences for fairness and efficiency that explains the behavior of most human participants in similar settings. We find a striking contrast: while GPT may fall short as accurate surrogate for human decisions at the surface level, the model nonetheless exhibits a capacity to reflect the underlying preferences that drive human behavior in strategic contexts. Our findings have implications for LLMs’ potential to serve as a managerial or research tool in simulating human behaviors.
Work in Progress
Responsive Advisors, Indifferent Clients: Evidence from a Field Experiment on the Role of Explainable AI in Financial Advice (Working Title)
First-authored, with Kevin Bauer, Cathy Yang, Xitong Li and Oliver Hinz (2026)
Explainable AI Human-AI Collaboration Lab-in-the-field experiment
Personalized Communication and Repayment (Working Title)
with Florian Hett, Andrej Gill, Christine Laudenbach and Stephan Siegel (2026)
Household Finance Behavioral Finance Field experiment
Policy Work (Pre-PhD)
Unconventionally Green: Monetary Policy between Engagement and Conflicting Goals
with Lukas Nöh, Felix Rutkowski and Milena Schwarz (2023)
Review of Economics, 74(1), 53–77.
Abstract
We study the potential role of the ECB in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy by decarbonizing the corporate sector purchase programme (CSPP). We demonstrate that the carbon intensity of CSPP purchases is determined by three main factors: First, by the CSPP-eligibility criteria, as these tend to exclude bonds from low-emission sectors. Second, by the underlying structure of the bond market, as this tends to be skewed towards carbon-intensive sectors. Third, among the eligible bonds, the ECB tends to select those from relatively emission-intensive sectors. To decarbonize the CSPP, the ECB can theoretically act along these three lines: (i) adjust the CSPP-eligibility criteria to expand the range of eligible low-carbon assets, (ii), revise the principle of market neutrality to tilt the CSPP portfolio towards low-carbon companies, or, (iii), purchase so far neglected low-carbon bonds within the current eligibility and market neutrality framework. As all approaches have either very limited effects or are associated with significant theoretical and practical concerns, we conclude that their contribution to the success of active green monetary policy is not guaranteed, while at the same time risks arise for a monetary policy that targets price stability.
Current Developments in Green Finance
with Lukas Nöh, Felix Rutkowski and Milena Schwarz (2020)
German Council of Economic Experts, Working Paper 05/2020.
Abstract
The transformation of economies towards significantly reduced CO2 consumption raises high investment and capital requirements. Financial and capital markets can help to mobilize the necessary funds for global investment needs and to steer capital towards sustainable investments. Moreover, potential disruptive impacts of climate change on the financial system have started to become more apparent recently and require central banks, regulators and supervisors to take a conscious look at the risks and opportunities of climate change for financial intermediaries and markets. This article offers a comprehensive discussion on how green finance has been evolving thus far and explores the opportunities and key developments ahead with particular emphasis on four selected highly topical issues: 1) the introduction of German green government bonds, 2) obstacles to the correct pricing of climate-related risks, 3) the EU taxonomy that has recently been put forward to develop a uniform classification of sustainable economic activities as well as 4) the role of central banks in fostering the transition to a low-carbon economy.