HRPYC81
Project 5 Assignment 3 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, RESEARCH PROPOSAL
UNDERSTANDING TRUST IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THE ROLE OF
PERSONALITY AND AI ANXIETY IN SHAPING ATTITUDES TOWARDS AI
APPLICATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA
1. INTRODUCTION
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday decision-making—from job
recruitment algorithms and autonomous vehicles to mental health diagnostics—has
led to growing concerns about how people perceive and trust these technologies.
Understanding human attitudes toward AI is crucial, especially as AI increasingly
impacts areas involving moral and ethical judgement (Choung et al., 2024; Zhang et
al., 2022). Although AI systems can enhance efficiency and objectivity, public
scepticism and emotional resistance remain persistent barriers to their widespread
acceptance (Glikson & Woolley, 2020).
In the South African context, these concerns are further amplified by socio-economic
disparities, historical distrust in technology, and varying degrees of digital literacy. As
AI begins to enter public and private sectors in South Africa, it becomes important to
examine how local populations respond to these changes. Studying attitudes toward
AI in this context can provide insight into adoption barriers, inform ethical policy
development, and help tailor interventions that build public trust.
This research investigates how personality traits and AI-related anxiety influence
attitudes towards AI applications. It aims to explore the psychological foundations
that shape trust or mistrust in AI, specifically within three application areas:
autonomous vehicles, job recruitment, and mental health support systems. These
relationships will be explored through a cross-sectional survey and analysed
statistically to test the proposed hypotheses.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction to the Behaviour: Attitudes Towards AI Applications
The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in decision-making—ranging from
health care and mental health interventions to autonomous vehicles and
Varsity Cube 2025 +27 81 278 3372
Project 5 Assignment 3 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, RESEARCH PROPOSAL
UNDERSTANDING TRUST IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THE ROLE OF
PERSONALITY AND AI ANXIETY IN SHAPING ATTITUDES TOWARDS AI
APPLICATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA
1. INTRODUCTION
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday decision-making—from job
recruitment algorithms and autonomous vehicles to mental health diagnostics—has
led to growing concerns about how people perceive and trust these technologies.
Understanding human attitudes toward AI is crucial, especially as AI increasingly
impacts areas involving moral and ethical judgement (Choung et al., 2024; Zhang et
al., 2022). Although AI systems can enhance efficiency and objectivity, public
scepticism and emotional resistance remain persistent barriers to their widespread
acceptance (Glikson & Woolley, 2020).
In the South African context, these concerns are further amplified by socio-economic
disparities, historical distrust in technology, and varying degrees of digital literacy. As
AI begins to enter public and private sectors in South Africa, it becomes important to
examine how local populations respond to these changes. Studying attitudes toward
AI in this context can provide insight into adoption barriers, inform ethical policy
development, and help tailor interventions that build public trust.
This research investigates how personality traits and AI-related anxiety influence
attitudes towards AI applications. It aims to explore the psychological foundations
that shape trust or mistrust in AI, specifically within three application areas:
autonomous vehicles, job recruitment, and mental health support systems. These
relationships will be explored through a cross-sectional survey and analysed
statistically to test the proposed hypotheses.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction to the Behaviour: Attitudes Towards AI Applications
The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in decision-making—ranging from
health care and mental health interventions to autonomous vehicles and
Varsity Cube 2025 +27 81 278 3372
