When Technology Meets Personality: Toward Human-Centered AI Design

Technology is no longer something we occasionally interact with; it is woven into our everyday life. Artificial Intelligence (AI) now shapes how we learn, work, communicate, and receive medical care. Alongside this, the Internet of Things (IoT) allows AI to operate continuously in the background, connecting devices, environments, and people across domains such as communication, transportation, and healthcare. As these technologies become more embedded and more influential, an important question emerges: Why do the same chatbots, smart cars, and health apps make some people feel safe – and others anxious?  Understanding these differences is essential not only for improving adoption, but also for protecting users’ emotional well-being.

The paper “When technology meets personality: toward human-centered AI design”, authored by Yair Amichai-Hamburger, Maya Mentzel Mazler, Abigail Barazani, and Yifat Ben-David Kolikant, addresses this challenge by shifting the focus of AI design from what systems can do to who they are designed for. Rather than treating users as a homogeneous group, the authors argue that effective AI systems must account for stable psychological differences between individuals. Personalising technology based on personality is presented not as a “nice to have” feature, but as a “must have” requirement for truly human-centered design.

The Approach of the Paper

To support this approach, the paper draws on well-established psychological frameworks that explain how people think, feel, and relate to both information and social systems. Broad personality traits predict how people behave across different contexts. Attachment styles shape our emotional needs and responses to both people and technology. Motivational tendencies determine how we seek novelty, process information, and tolerate uncertainty.  Together, these perspectives offer a rich lens for understanding why the same AI system can feel reassuring to one person and distressing to another. Building on this psychological lens, the next sections translate individual differences into a concrete design shift—from task-centered systems to personality-aware AI.

From Task-Centered to Personality-Aware Systems

The paper introduces a new design paradigm in which AI systems are tailored to individual personality traits rather than offering a single standardized interface. By aligning system behavior with psychological differences, AI can significantly improve user experience, adherence, and wellbeing, especially in complex medical contexts such as oncology.

Rather than asking patients to adapt to rigid systems, the system adapts to them.

Personality-Based Design and Medical Adherence

One of the paper’s key contributions is demonstrating how personality-aware interfaces can dramatically improve adherence to demanding medical protocols, such as cancer treatments. To illustrate how dramatically personality shapes medical needs, consider these examples:

High Conscientiousness

Patients high in conscientiousness benefit from systems that:

• Provide reliable and structured information

• Offer clear reminders for medical metrics

• Enable progress tracking

These features reinforce their sense of competence and responsibility, supporting consistent engagement with treatment plans.

Sensation Seeking

Patients high in sensation seeking may struggle with repetitive or monotonous treatment routines. For these individuals, the paper suggests:

• Gamification elements

• Virtual reality environments

These approaches help maintain engagement and reduce the risk of treatment dropout.

Managing Anxiety Through Adaptive Information Delivery

Anxiety management is identified as a major challenge in oncology, particularly in how medical information is delivered. The paper proposes adapting both information depth and emotional support based on personality traits.

Adjusting Information Depth (Need for Cognition)

• High Need for Cognition: Patients receive detailed reports and deep statistical analysis.

• Low Need for Cognition: Patients receive simple, clear guidelines without cognitive overload.

This adaptive approach prevents overwhelm and ensures information is delivered in a psychologically appropriate way.

Emotional Support (Neuroticism)

For patients prone to anxiety:

• The system provides calming features

• Offers emotional validation

• Delivers structured updates that reduce uncertainty

This contrasts with data-heavy interfaces that may increase stress.

Optimising Doctor Time Through Adaptive Communication

The paper also highlights how AI systems can function as smart assistants, adapting communication styles to different patient attachment patterns, thereby optimizing doctors’ time and attention.

Anxious Attachment Style

These patients benefit from:

• Frequent virtual check-ins

• Ongoing reassurance from the system

Avoidant Attachment Style

These patients prefer:

• Self-service systems

• Minimal direct human interaction

• High levels of autonomy

By allowing AI to handle ongoing maintenance and communication based on patient needs, doctors can focus human attention where it is most necessary.

Creating a Smart Medical Environment with AI and IoT

Beyond interfaces, the paper explores how AI and IoT technologies can create a fully adaptive medical environment. For cancer patients under home monitoring or hospitalization:

• Biometric sensors detect stress levels in real time

• The system automatically adjusts lighting, sound, and alerts

• Changes are made based on the patient’s personality profile

Importantly, these adjustments can occur before medical staff intervention is required, supporting patient wellbeing proactively.

Beyond Healthcare: A Broader Personality-Aware Framework

While the paper focuses heavily on medical applications, it also introduces a personality-aware design framework applicable beyond healthcare. The authors propose that across ICT, transportation, and healthcare, personality shapes:

• AI adoption

• User experience

• Overall wellbeing

Understanding these core psychological mechanisms allows designers to create systems that are not only efficient, but deeply human-centered.

The New Question to Ask

“When technology meets personality” challenges the assumption that smarter systems alone lead to better outcomes. Instead, it shows that psychologically adaptive systems—those designed with personality at their core—can transform how AI supports health, communication, and care. By shifting the focus from what the system can do to who the system is serving, the paper lays the foundation for a more humane, effective future of AI design.

Read the whole paper:

When Technology meets personality.pdf

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