Hiring nowHuman-AI interaction and experience research

Human-AI Interaction Researcher

Also called HAI Researcher · Human-AI Teaming Researcher · Human Factors Researcher (AI)

A Human-AI Interaction Researcher studies how people understand, trust and work with AI systems. Their evidence helps a company build products people rely on at the right moments and recover from when the AI gets it wrong.

What they do

They plan and run studies on how people actually use AI features. That means choosing the method, building or borrowing prototypes, recruiting realistic participants and watching what happens when the system is right, wrong or unsure. They look at the mental models people form, where they over-trust or under-trust, and how they recover from failures. They work with designers, engineers and model teams, turn findings into specific product changes, and check accessibility so the experience works for a wide range of people.

What a strong hire delivers

Within the first months, a strong hire delivers a user study that shows real behaviour, including how people notice and recover from AI errors. They give the team a clear view of where reliance is too high or too low. They leave behind a repeatable study approach, and product changes that are tested in realistic conditions and tied to task performance.

How you can tell they are good

Ask them to walk through a past study from question to decision. Good candidates explain why they chose the method, how they made tasks realistic, and what changed in the product afterwards. Ask how they would measure appropriate reliance, not just satisfaction. Be wary of answers built on opinions, self-reported trust alone, or demos with no failure cases.

Why it is hard to fill

Scarcity is high. Few researchers have studied AI behaviour with the rigour of experimental design and also understand how models fail. Titles vary widely, from HCI researcher to human factors specialist, so searches by title miss people. Many candidates are strong in either academic method or product work, and rarely both. Employers compete for the same small group.

Where to find them

Look in HCI and cognitive psychology research groups, UX research teams that have moved into AI products, and human factors or service research practices. Many sit in frontier labs and enterprise AI teams. Others work in academic labs, health or safety-critical software, and accessibility-focused organisations, where reliance and error recovery already matter.

Indicative pay

Not enough published evidence yet to give a fair range for this role, which is common for work this new. We benchmark it for you as part of a search.

Interview questions for a Human-AI Interaction Researcher

  1. Tell me about a study where users relied on a system too much or too little. What did you find and what changed?

    Look for a specific study, a clear definition of over- and under-reliance, behavioural evidence and a product change that followed. Worry if they only cite satisfaction scores or cannot say what decision the research influenced.

  2. How would you measure appropriate reliance on an AI assistant, rather than just trust?

    Strong answers compare user choices with the AI's actual correctness, using behavioural measures alongside self-report. They discuss ground truth, task design and calibration over time. Worry if trust ratings are treated as the outcome.

4 more questions, with what a strong answer covers, are in the Role Kit.

Job description you can post

We are building AI products that people use for real work, and we need a researcher to show us how they understand, trust and recover when things go wrong. You will run studies that change what we build and how we explain it.

What you will do

  • Design and run user studies on how people understand and work with our AI features
  • Capture behaviour and failure-recovery evidence in realistic tasks
  • Measure whether people rely on the system appropriately
  • Build or specify prototypes for testing with designers and engineers
  • Include accessibility needs in study design and findings
  • Turn results into clear product recommendations and follow up on their effect
  • Share methods so the wider team can run lighter studies

What you will bring

  • Examples of studies you designed and ran, with the decisions they informed
  • Strong experimental design and a clear approach to mixed methods
  • Understanding of mental models and reliance calibration
  • Comfort testing prototypes and AI behaviour, including errors
  • Practical experience with accessibility in research
  • Ability to explain findings plainly to engineers and leaders

Nice to have

  • Background in HCI, cognitive psychology or human factors
  • Experience researching agent or assistant products
  • Experience in safety-critical or regulated settings

Free to use and adapt. If it saves you time, a link back to this page is appreciated.

Skills that matter

  • Human-computer interactionAdvancedDesign and study interactions between people and AI
  • User researchAdvancedStudy user needs, context and behaviour
  • AccessibilityWorkingEnable equitable use by people with disabilities
  • Experimental designWorkingChoose comparisons that identify credible effects

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How we wrote this

Role definitions are our own editorial work, checked against occupational classifications, standards, research and employer pages. Titles vary by company, and this is a description of the work, not a job advert.

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