Machine intuition: Uncovering human-like intuitive decision-making in GPT-3.5

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies revolutionize vast fields of society. Humans using these systems are likely to expect them to work in a potentially hyperrational manner. However, in this study, we show that some AI systems, namely large language models (LLMs), exhibit behavior that strikingly resembles human-like intuition - and the many cognitive errors that come with them. We use a state-of-the-art LLM, namely the latest iteration of OpenAI's Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT-3.5), and probe it with the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) as well as semantic illusions that were originally designed to investigate intuitive decision-making in humans. Our results show that GPT-3.5 systematically exhibits "machine intuition," meaning that it produces incorrect responses that are surprisingly equal to how humans respond to the CRT as well as to semantic illusions. We investigate several approaches to test how sturdy GPT-3.5's inclination for intuitive-like decision-making is. Our study demonstrates that investigating LLMs with methods from cognitive science has the potential to reveal emergent traits and adjust expectations regarding their machine behavior.