Participant Information & Consent

You are being invited to participate in a research study conducted by Matthew Beane at UC Santa Barbara. Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. Please read this information sheet carefully and ask any questions before deciding whether to participate.

The purpose of this study is to understand how workers across different occupations use conversational AI systems in and around their jobs, including which tasks they use AI to perform, how they manage the performance of work tasks, and these patterns vary across professions. We also study how conversational AI systems may make inferences about workers’ occupation, responsibilities, expertise, and goals from prior interactions, and how those inferences may relate to the model’s ongoing behavior. The broader goal of this research is to understand how AI may influence the way work is organized and divided across occupations.

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to:

• Complete a brief survey (approximately 5 minutes) about your demographics, occupation, and experience using AI tools.
• Export and upload your AI conversation history from one or more platforms you use (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini). We will provide step-by-step instructions for how to do this. Estimated time: 5-10 minutes.
• Allow the study’s secure server to process the uploaded files after submitting the questionnaire. The first processing step detects and redacts direct identifiers and sensitive credentials. The system then identifies work-related conversations. Conversations classified as personal or otherwise not work-related are deleted and not retained for research. Work-related conversations are used to create coded research records, abstracted summaries, and measures of your AI-use patterns. Identifier-redacted, work-related conversation text is retained as research data, together with derived measures.
• Receive an email when your personalized AI Work Style Profile is ready. The email will not include transcript text or any potentially sensitive information; it will direct you to a secure way to access your report which you may then save and share as you wish.

Total estimated time commitment: 15-25 minutes.

If your occupation involves software development, you may optionally choose to install the SkillMeter plugin for your Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This plugin collects structured interaction data about how you use AI coding assistants during your normal development work. As with the survey, all data is processed only on your local machine, and only with abstracted metadata transmitted to the research team after your review and approval. The plugin can be uninstalled at any time to stop data collection. Participation in this optional component does not affect your participation in the primary study.

The risks associated with participation in this study are minimal. They include:

• Sensitive content in uploaded files: An exported conversation history may include personal information about you or others, confidential workplace material, or sensitive credentials. Automated detection and filtering reduce this risk but may not identify every sensitive item or may misclassify a conversation.
• Unauthorized access: Although we use safeguards described below, no electronic system can be guaranteed completely secure. An unauthorized disclosure could reveal information contained in a transcript or derived from it.
• Employer and Third-Party Information: You should upload only conversation histories that you are permitted to share for research. Do not upload trade secrets or confidential employer, client, patient, student, or third party information if you are not authorized to transmit it.

• While there are no direct benefits to you, you may appreciate receiving a personalized AI Work Style Profile based on your interaction patterns, showing how your AI collaboration style compares to others in your occupation and more broadly. This profile is yours to keep and share if you choose.
• Your participation contributes to scientific understanding of how AI is being used across occupations, which may inform workforce development policies and AI design.

We take your privacy seriously and implement the following to protect your privacy. While we employ several layers of protection that can substantially reduce risk, they cannot eliminate it::

• Encrypted transmission and temporary intake Upon submission of the questionnaire, your selected transcript files are transmitted to the study’s secure server through an encrypted connection. The original unredacted upload is held only in a restricted temporary processing area. It is deleted from active storage after the initial redaction of personally identifying information and determination of work-related conversations. Identifier-redacted, work-related transcript records and the abstracted summaries and metrics derived from them are retained for research.
• Coded records and separate contact information The system assigns you a random study code. Transcript-processing records and analytical outputs are stored under that code and do not contain your name or email address. Your contact information is stored in a separate encrypted contact system with separate access controls. A restricted linkage service uses the random study code to connect your contact information to your report so that we can notify you when it is ready and administer a deletion request should you wish to. Researchers analyzing transcript-derived records will not receive your contact information. Contact information will be deleted after report delivery and resolution of any delivery issue, unless you separately consent to future contact.
• Secure storage and access controls Retained study data are stored on secure, access-controlled cloud infrastructure in the United States. Data are encrypted during transmission and while stored. The infrastructure uses network firewalls, unique password-protected accounts, multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based least privilege access, and access logging. Access to study data is limited to approved members of the research team who have completed required training and need the data for their assigned study responsibilities. The same access restrictions apply to backups.
• Retention and email notification We will not send transcript text or research records by email. We will send only a notice and a secure way to access your report. Retained coded research records and derived outputs will be kept for four years after the study is completed and then securely deleted. Findings that have already been combined across participants or published cannot be removed from those aggregate results.

You will receive your personalized AI Work Style Profile as a benefit of participation.

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. You may choose not to participate or may stop before submission by closing your browser. After submission, you may request deletion of your individual-level study records by contacting the research team. Choosing not to participate or withdrawing will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.

If you have questions about this study, please contact Matt Beane, Ph.D. at mattbeane@ucsb.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, you may contact the UCSB Human Subjects Committee at (805) 893-3807 or hsc@research.ucsb.edu

By clicking “I Agree–Begin Study”, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the information contained in this document, that your participation is voluntary, and that you consent to participate in this study.