Reflecting on Personality Traits and Building Trust in context of AI
A primer on how our personalities shape trust dynamics
As AI technologies increasingly mediate interactions, understanding trust-building strategies is crucial. This essay will delve into how inherent personality traits influence the strategies used to establish trust. We will further explore how these human personality traits can be addressed and integrated with AI's role in fostering trust and collaboration towards shared goals.
Consider Alice, a highly communicative team member, and Bob, a reserved colleague known for his attention to detail. Both possess valuable tools when building trust with a new client. Their inherent personality traits can be analyzed through the lens of the EAS Temperament Theory1. This theory identifies three core dimensions: Emotionality (sensitivity to emotions), Activity (energy level), and Sociability (preference for social interaction). Alice's high Sociability likely makes her naturally initiate interactions and build rapport with ease. Conversely, Bob's lower Sociability leads him to be a more reserved listener, focusing on understanding the client's needs before actively engaging. While both strategies can be equally as effective, these temperamental differences influence how they initially approach building trust.
The Big Five personality framework2, also known as the 5-Factor Model of Personality, offers another layer of understanding to building trust. It categorizes personality into five dimensions: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN). Alice's high Openness might make her readily share information and explore new approaches, fostering a sense of transparency. Alternatively, Bob's Conscientiousness expresses itself in his focus on delivering accurate and well-considered details, building trust through reliability.
These personality traits, alongside temperament, influence how Alice and Bob communicate and establish trust with the client. Understanding these frameworks (EAS Temperament Theory and Big Five) is needed as we navigate the complexities of human-AI interaction. When AI becomes a mediator of interactions, these human traits become even more critical. An AI with high activity might overwhelm Alice while failing to engage a reserved Bob. Conversely, a more cautious AI may be able to effectively build trust with both of them.
By understanding how human personality interacts with AI's communication style, we can develop AI that adapts its approach. Imagine an AI that adjusts its pace and information sharing based on the user it encounters. This adaptation has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of interactions. However, the long-term impact on human-to-human communication and collaboration remains to be seen.
Further research is needed to understand specific questions, such as how AI's adaptation might influence trust dynamics within teams or how it might impact the development of empathy and social skills in individuals who rely heavily on AI interaction. By addressing these questions, we can ensure that AI's adaptability enables a future where human-AI collaboration strengthens, rather than weakens, human-to-human connections.
Purper-Ouakil, D. (2017). EAS Temperament Model. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_745-1
Wang, H., Liu, Y., Wang, Z., & Wang, T. (2023, January 27). The influences of the big five personality traits on academic achievements: Chain mediating effect based on major identity and self-efficacy. Frontiers in psychology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9911834/