Struggling with your relationship with AI? Maybe it's you.
““Do you think AI is going to leave introverts behind?” ”
The question a friend recently sent me on WhatsApp was a message that stopped me in my tracks. I started typing a quick response, but my fingers paused mid-sentence. Suddenly, the confident answer in my mind felt incomplete. Rather than offering my friend a quick reply, I was drawn into a broader exploration.
I vividly remember that feeling in the autumn of 1999 when I first experienced the sense of infinite technological possibilities. Fresh out of high school and starting at an IT company, I interpreted every software update as a sign of progress. What seemed impossible one day was solved the next with a few lines of code.
My initial enthusiasm has remained with me over the years but has also developed into a growing sense of scepticism. As technology advances, it increasingly takes on capabilities I once considered uniquely human, such as effortlessly analysing emotions, composing music, and managing sensitive conversations.
The personality puzzle: Who loves AI and who doesn't?
Researchers have been investigating this question, and the answer isn't as straightforward as we might think.
Think of AI as a mirror—not the simple reflective kind, but more like the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter, which shows not your face but your deepest desires. When we approach AI, what we see in it—threat or opportunity, tool or companion, master or servant—may reveal more about our inner landscape than about the technology itself.
Remember the last time you encountered a new AI tool – perhaps ChatGPT or Midjourney? Did you dive in with enthusiasm or approach with caution? Your reaction might have less to do with the technology and more with who you fundamentally are.
According to Park and Woo (2022), your fundamental personality traits significantly influence how you perceive and interact with AI. They discovered that openness to experience positively correlates with seeing AI as functional and practical. At the same time, neuroticism leads to more negative emotional attitudes but, surprisingly, more positive attitudes toward AI's social aspects.
But what about my friend's question about introverts?
Introverts vs. Extraverts: The AI relationship paradox
Here's where it gets interesting. Park and Woo found that extroverts—the sociable, outgoing types—displayed "more negative emotional attitudes toward AI and negatively evaluated the functionality of AI" (2022).
Contrary to what we might expect, introverts appear more likely to embrace AI technology!
This finding is consistent with the "algorithm appreciation" concept – the preference for algorithms over humans in informing decisions. As Stein et al. (2024) put it, "introverts may have more favourable attitudes towards AI because AI may replace people in some routine tasks."
Think about it: if you find constant human interaction draining, wouldn't a digital assistant who never tires, never judges, and rarely misunderstands your articulated requests seem appealing? AI might be to introverts what sunglasses are to the light-sensitive—a buffer against overstimulation in a world designed for others.
Beyond introversion: The full personality picture
But introversion isn't the only personality trait that matters. Our relationship with AI is like a complex dance where each personality trait leads to a different movement. Research reveals a tapestry of traits choreographing our AI relationships:
Agreeableness: People high in agreeableness tend to focus on AI's positive aspects and trust AI developers' intentions (Stein et al., 2024). They approach AI like Jane Bennet from "Pride and Prejudice" approaches others—assuming good intentions until proven otherwise.
Conscientiousness: These organised, productive individuals appreciate AI's functionality but are less impressed by its social aspects (Park & Woo, 2022). They are like master craftspeople with toolboxes—valuing instruments that enhance performance while focusing on the task at hand.
Openness to experience: The curious, imaginative types are more likely to embrace AI if they perceive its competence and efficiency (Park & Woo, 2022). These are the Captain Kirks of our world—boldly going where no one has gone before, drawn to AI's potential rather than threatened by it.
Neuroticism: Interestingly, those prone to anxiety and negative emotions show mixed reactions – negative emotional attitudes but positive appraisal of AI's sociality (Park & Woo, 2022). They might discover unexpected comfort in AI's predictability and lack of judgment.
The Trust Factor: Beyond Personality
Beyond our basic traits, trust plays a crucial role. Schepman and Rodway (2023) found that a higher conspiracy mentality is associated with more negative views toward AI. If you're generally suspicious of institutions and authorities, you will likely view AI with similar scepticism.
Age also seems to influence our AI attitudes, with older individuals tending toward more negative views (Stein et al., 2024) – though perhaps this reflects generational exposure rather than Personality. It's the technological equivalent of T.S. Eliot's observation: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." Some of us simply begin our explorations at different times.
What does this mean for our AI future?
Understanding these personality-based reactions becomes crucial as AI increasingly permeates our daily lives. When we witness heated debates about AI – its benefits, dangers, and appropriate uses – we might witness personality clashes as much as technological disagreements.
In my work with clients, I've observed that people are at very different stages in their AI journey. Some remain overwhelmed at the early signs, while others have moved through excitement and optimism and into the inevitable "disillusion" phase that follows the honeymoon period. This emotional response curve mirrors what I experienced with earlier technologies.
It's like watching people experience the classic Hero's Journey described by Joseph Campbell—each person answering the call to adventure with AI, crossing the threshold into unknown territory, facing trials and tribulations, and ultimately (hopefully) returning transformed. However, unlike the linear narrative of myth, with AI, we cycle through these stages repeatedly with each technological advancement.
What's particularly interesting is the "valley of losses" that emerges during this disillusionment phase – losses of control, pride, familiarity, expertise, narrative, and time (Kanter, 2012). These concerns seem to resonate differently depending on personality type.
For organisations implementing AI tools, these findings suggests tailoring approaches based on different personality profiles might be more effective than one-size-fits-all solutions. As Kaya et al. (2024) noted, "Interventions aimed at reducing technology anxiety should focus on increasing digital social participation."
So, will AI leave introverts behind?
Returning to my friend's original question—will AI leave introverts behind? The research suggests quite the opposite. Introverts might actually be predisposed to form more positive relationships with AI systems, finding in them efficient partners who don't drain their social batteries.
In my 2019 reflection, I wrote about the widening gap "between those who primarily focus on the positive aspects and those voices that warn against an uncritical embrace of technology." I didn't fully appreciate then how much our inherent personality traits might be driving these differing perspectives.
It reminds me of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and George Orwell's "1984"—two prophetic visions of technological dystopia. One warns of technology making us love what oppresses us, the other of technology being used to oppress what we love. Perhaps the difference isn't just ideology but psychology—some of us naturally lean toward Huxley's fears, others toward Orwell's.
As I wrote in 2019, "Simply waiting to react to technological changes as they occur is a passive strategy, offering little advantage in this rapidly evolving landscape." This feels even more relevant in today's AI-accelerated world, but with a new dimension: understanding our psychological predispositions might help us navigate these changes more effectively.
After all, in any relationship – even one with artificial intelligence – it's not just about them. It's also about you. Like the famous line from Proust: "The only true voyage of discovery, [...] would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is;" Perhaps our relationship with AI is less about the technology itself and more about how it helps us see ourselves anew.
The "So What?": Practical Applications for Professionals and Leaders
You might think: "This is interesting, but how does it help me in my daily work?" Fair question. Here are some practical ways to apply these insights:
-
Self-awareness as a superpower: Understanding your own personality-based predispositions towards AI can help you anticipate and manage your reactions. If you're highly neurotic, recognise that your initial anxiety about new AI tools may not reflect their actual value. If you're strongly extroverted, you might undervalue AI solutions that reduce human interaction.
Personalise your approach: Customise your AI adoption strategy to complement your Personality. Introverts might benefit from diving deep into AI tools that reduce administrative social interactions, freeing energy for meaningful human connections. Extroverts might focus on AI tools that enhance rather than replace social experiences.
Expand your comfort zone: If you understand which aspects of AI trigger resistance in you, you can deliberately practice engaging with those aspects in small, manageable doses. This controlled exposure can gradually shift your relationship with the technology.
-
Diversify your AI champions: Ensure your AI implementation team includes different personality types and deliberately pair people with complementary personality traits on AI projects. The openness-oriented visionary, the conscientious implementer, the agreeable communicator, and even the neurotic risk assessor all bring valuable perspectives.
Tailor training approaches: Recognize that one-size-fits-all AI training will fail. Create multiple pathways for learning that accommodate different personalities. Offer self-paced tutorials for introverts, collaborative workshops for extroverts, detailed documentation for the conscientious, and frequent reassurance for the neurotic.
Map the personality landscape: To anticipate adoption challenges, consider informally mapping the dominant personality traits in different teams. A marketing team high in openness may readily embrace creative AI tools. In contrast, a highly conscientious finance team might resist AI that doesn't demonstrate rigorous accuracy.
Target the valley of losses: Remember those losses I mentioned earlier (control, pride, familiarity, expertise, narrative, and time)? Address them directly and see it as a joint learning experience. After all, and even though it might feel different, we are still in the early stages of this journey.
Create psychological safety through structured dialogue: Establish environments where people can express anxieties about AI without judgment. This is especially important for those high in neuroticism who might otherwise suffer silently.
In my consulting work, I have found tremendous value in facilitating what I call the "3 W's" — asking teams to share their Worries, Wishes, and Wonders about AI:
Worries: "What concerns you most about AI in our work?"
Wishes: "What do you hope AI could help you accomplish?"
Wonders: "What questions or curiosities do you have about AI?"
This approach accomplishes several things simultaneously: it validates concerns without letting them dominate, taps into excitement and positive possibilities, and creates space for neutral curiosity. Most importantly, the collective responses often mirror the organisation's broader sentiment about AI, giving leaders a high-level perspective on readiness for adoption.
The goal is not to eliminate personality-based reactions to AI but to harness them productively. The conscientious employee's caution might prevent AI implementation mistakes, while the open employee's enthusiasm might reveal unexpected AI applications.
By understanding these personality dynamics, we can transform potential obstacles into stepping stones for more effective AI integration—making technology work for all personality types, not just the naturally techno-enthusiastic.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Virginia Cullen (she/her), whose question on WhatsApp inspired this entire exploration. Her insightful prompt to think about the relationship between introversion and AI opened up a thoughtful avenue of reflection. Sometimes, the most meaningful journeys begin with a simple message from a perceptive friend.
REFERENCES
Kanter, R. M. (2012, September 25). Ten reasons people resist change. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2012/09/ten-reasons-people-resist-chang
Kaya, F., Aydin, F., Schepman, A., Rodway, P., Yetişensoy, O., & Demir Kaya, M. (2024). The Roles of Personality Traits, AI Anxiety, and Demographic Factors in Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 40(2), 497–514. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2022.2151730
Park, J., & Woo, S. E. (2022). Who Likes Artificial Intelligence? Personality Predictors of Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence. The Journal of Psychology, 156(1), 68–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2021.2012109
Schepman, A., & Rodway, P. (2023). The General Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS): Confirmatory Validation and Associations with Personality, Corporate Distrust, and General Trust. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 39(13), 2724–2741. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2022.2085400
Stein, J.-P., Messingschlager, T., Gnambs, T., Hutmacher, F., & Appel, M. (2024). Attitudes towards AI: Measurement and associations with personality. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 2909. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53335-2
Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash