Personality and Cognition in Human–AI Interaction

Dear Colleagues,

The goal of this topic is to educate and generate continued interest and enthusiasm in research on personality and cognition in human–AI interaction.

Although extensive research has been conducted to explore the influence of personality on cognition, it remains unclear as to whether these same relationships manifest in human–AI interaction. Examples of human–AI interaction include, but are not limited to, virtual assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, ChatGPT, AI-powered chatbots, and AI companions. Given the rapid development of AI technology, a more comprehensive understanding of how personality may influence cognitive processes in human–AI interaction is essential because it profoundly shapes the conclusions of findings and the focus of future research.

Here, we define personality broadly as individual differences that can distinguish one person from another, including but not limited to personality traits such as the “Big Five”, self-concept, emotions, intelligence, emotional intelligence, and motives. Personality profoundly shapes how individuals interact with the world. It influences various aspects of social engagement, from initial encounters, trust formation, to cooperation and the maintenance of long-term relationships. We are interested in understanding how personality may relate to cognitive processes and functions, from attention, perception, and memory to decision-making, mindsets, and problem-solving.

Therefore, a central issue we aimed to discuss within this topic is the relationship between personality and cognition in human–AI interaction from the perspective of a wide range of individual differences and cognitive processes. Specifically, we invite you to explore the parallels and distinctions in how personality and cognition influence interactions between humans and AI compared to human–human interactions. This juxtaposition will serve to clarify the knowledge gained.

We invite you to contribute a paper to this topic, which we anticipate will be a stimulating exploration. We aim to uncover hidden connections and contrasts between different research approaches, fostering innovative ideas for future work.

Prof. Dr. Virginia Sau Y. Kwan
Dr. Samantha McMichael
Dr. Julia Brailovskaia
Topic Editors