Schoenegger, P., et al. (2024, June 12).
arXiv.org.
Abstract
We test the abilities of specialised deep neural networks like PersonalityMap as well as general LLMs like GPT-4o and Claude 3 Opus in understanding human personality. Specifically, we compare their ability to predict correlations between personality items to the abilities of lay people and academic experts. We find that when compared with individual humans, all AI models make better predictions than the vast majority of lay people and academic experts. However, when selecting the median prediction for each item, we find a different pattern: Experts and PersonalityMap outperform LLMs and lay people on most measures. Our results suggest that while frontier LLMs' are better than most individual humans at predicting correlations between personality items, specialised models like PersonalityMap continue to match or exceed expert human performance even on some outcome measures where LLMs underperform. This provides evidence both in favour of the general capabilities of large language models and in favour of the continued place for specialised models trained and deployed for specific domains.
Here are some thoughts on the intersection of technology and psychology.
The research investigates how AI systems fare against human experts, including both laypeople and academic psychologists, in predicting correlations between personality traits.
The findings suggest that AI, particularly specialized deep learning models, may outperform individual humans in this specific task. This is intriguing, as it highlights the potential of AI to analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns that might escape human intuition. However, it's important to remember that personality is a complex interplay of internal states, experiences, and environmental factors.
While AI may excel at recognizing statistical connections, it currently lacks the ability to grasp the underlying reasons behind these correlations. A true understanding of personality necessitates the human capacity for empathy, cultural context, and consideration of individual narratives. In clinical settings, for instance, a skilled psychologist goes beyond identifying traits; they build rapport, explore the origin of these traits, and tailor interventions accordingly. AI, for now, remains a valuable tool for analysis, but it should be seen as complementary to, rather than a replacement for, human expertise in understanding the rich tapestry of human personality.
