Do AI Tools Have a Personality Type?
Tim Schwanz
Account Manager
An in-depth look at AI tools and if they have a personality type
With the advancement of technology, the world is becoming increasingly automated and AI-assisted. With 200 million ChatGPT users daily, we use these tools frequently to get information and even write for us.
If we consistently use large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT for creative tasks, we must consider whether they have inbuilt individual personalities. And if so, what does this mean for the future of the workplace?
In research from MIT, experts ranging from neurologists to computer scientists found that none of today’s AIs score high enough to be considered conscious. However, the road to this still looks plausible, and with that development would come personalities.
In this article, we examine the results of the DISC Assessment Test for various LLMs and hear from Adam Stamm, co-owner of Online DISC Profile, about how AI’s personalities could help or hinder the workplace.
What we found
There are many LLMs available to use, but for this test, we selected ChatGPT, CoPilot, DeepSeek, Gemini, and Perplexity – and these were the results:
| LLM | Personality Type | Key traits |
|---|---|---|
|
ChatGPT |
DI |
Has self-confidence, a sense of urgency, and high energy, and enthusiastically directs others towards positive action.
When very passionate, they may be perceived as manipulative.
|
|
Perplexity |
ID |
Has poise, embraces authority, is an excellent presenter and engages audiences.
They may need help handling detailed work.
|
|
DeepSeek |
SIc |
Is well-organised, a great listener, gives attention to goals and maintains focus, especially for the good of all.
They may avoid conflict-producing situations. |
|
CoPilot |
DI |
Has self-confidence, a sense of urgency, is high energy and enthusiastically directs others towards positive action.
When very passionate, they may be perceived as manipulative. |
|
Gemini |
SCi |
Is well-organised, a great listener and a problem-solver.
They may avoid conflict-producing situations. |
ChatGPT and CoPilot - DI / Dominance personality
ChatGPT and CoPilot achieved DI as their personality type, meaning that what they draft (perhaps email templates or presentation notes) will likely be direct, engaging, and motivational.
The ‘dominant personality’ of both makes them come across as a “mover and shaker” types that bring rapid decisiveness to their work. You might find that when using these LLMs over others, there’s more confidence in their answers, which will benefit employees with similar personalities.
Adam Stamm, co-owner of Online DISC Profile, notes, “If you’ve got the result of DI, then you are likely to possess self-confidence and enthusiasm and can captivate and inspire others.”
General characteristics
- Ability to engage and inspire others
- Use their power of influence to direct people to positive action
- Will be a “mover and shaker” who uses a variety of methods when interacting with others to influence behaviors towards a desired result
- Verbalizes, directs, and points the way for new opportunities
- Engages their motivation with enthusiasm and energy
- May be seen as manipulative, argumentative, and abrasive
Perplexity - ID / Influence-Dominance Personality
Through testing, we found that Perplexity is a ‘influence-dominance’ personality type, one of the most common DISC personality types, as identified by our 2024 data.
If Perplexity is used to get answers, draft text, or help understand data, the messaging will likely have a more social tone. Those with a similar personality type might prefer Perplexity to achieve this tone in their work.
As an ID personality type, it will also be influential and have strong leadership qualities so that you can expect clarity in its responses.
Adam notes that ID types “Bring a sense of urgency to get things started and keep things moving. The spontaneity that ‘influencers’ bring allows for variety in their environment. They embrace positions of authority and appreciate when others handle some of the details and logistics.”
General Characteristics
- Focuses on influencing, leadership, and pointing the way
- Often good at promoting ideas and able to make requests of others to get things done
- High people orientation, decisiveness and urgency
- Easily engages with others on the team and encourages open dialogue
- Focuses on communication and clarity, and preparedness for change
- May become indecisive or vacillate on positions
- May rely too much on personal persuasion, which can be perceived as over-selling
- Excellent presenter, engages audiences, but may need help handling detailed work
DeepSeek (SIc) and Gemini (SCi) - Steadiness personalities
‘Steadiness’ personality types, both SIc or SCi, regularly seek a stable and consistent environment. If Gemini and DeepSeek seemingly possess these traits, then their messaging is likely to reflect this and be calming and supportive.
Both LLMs will generally maintain consistency across tasks, and through being active “listeners”, you might find the results from asking DeepSeek or Gemini questions will be more specific, as it has taken time to read carefully and slowly.
Employees with a Steadiness DISC Profile are often referred to as the ‘glue’ that holds people together. This style excels at listening and making others feel supported.
General Characteristics
- Wants to be a proactive member of any group and supportive by nature
- High team or group orientation, thinking ‘we’re all in this together’
- Active and engaging listener to others who will do what they can to be sure others are included
- Likes to be included in activities, proactive problem solving, and sharing successes
- Will try inspirational methods to bring people together, and enlist support from others
- May avoid confrontation or not share their thoughts without prompting and in a safe environment
- Sometimes need encouragement to verbalize concerns and observations
What does this mean for the workplace?
Many workplaces use AI tools, specifically LLMs, in everyday tasks such as drafting emails, researching, and creating documents.
But what considerations should be made in the workplace if certain LLMs align to a specific DISC personality?
A question of Tone
Our research has discovered that not all LLMs have the same DISC personality, which could cause problems with tone and understanding.
There are already questions about the need for improvement within LLMs, with plenty of caveats when using them to “check important info.” So, it is now just as important to remember that they have different personalities that should be considered when using them.
If you normally come across as being warm and bubbly in your written communication, most LLMs will cause you to have a very different tone.
Adam says: “When you think about the comparison between a tool like Grammarly, which is designed for writing, the software is programmed to force you to think about tone as you write. It prompts you to consider how you are coming accross.
ChatCPT, Gemini, etc, have a broader focus, and without knowing they have a “personality” style, you could come off as having a very different tone than you have. It also comes down to how much editing you do; no one should take what an LLM writes as verbatim and run with it – always edit what comes from these sources.”
Using ChatGPT to draft email responses, for example, is a great way to be more efficient, but employees need to ensure that the tone coming from these platforms aligns with their intent, or else it could be misinterpreted.
Emotionally Intelligent AI
While our research has discovered that LLMs align with different DISC personalities, this doesn’t mean we can’t train them to act according to a different DISC type.
To use AI effectively in the workplace, we can start thinking of it as an extension of ourselves and train it to behave as we should based on the Platinum Rule.
At work, you will encounter a mixture of personality types and might have to adapt your own slightly to meet someone else’s needs, so we should consider training LLMs in the same way.
Adam highlights an example: “If I come to you wanting to discuss a topic playfully and creatively, and you respond by saying ‘let’s nail down the details’ – the interaction will fail and feel confusing or cause conflict. LLMs would benefit from the same perspective we look to train in our workshops, where you apply the platinum rule: “treat others as they wish to be treated.”
If your workplace uses a specific LLM like ChatGPT, which has a more dominant DISC type but needs to respond like the steadiness type to align with most of your staff, then you can train it to react as such.
Adam says, “Researchers have found that certain personalities correlate with particular needs of specific positions. As an example, if you had a behavioral tendency to challenge others and maintain a position of skepticism towards what other people say, a person with this behavioral style would have a hard time spending their entire day and week listening to others in a capacity where they are taught not to challenge them, but to help them navigate their thoughts and feelings.
It’s not to say that these individuals can’t listen in this capacity, but how long can they go before they are drained because they are stretching towards a behavior that isn’t within their natural tendancy? Theoretically, since LLMs have a broader range capacity, perhaps the better option would be to train them to ’sense’ what is needed from them and stretch their responses just as we have done within our DISC classes.”
“No one should take what an LLM writes as verbatim and run with it - always edit what comes from these sources.”
Fake Personalities
Research from Stanford University and Google DeepMind, as highlighted in this article, reveals that AI can accurately replicate a person’s values and preferences with only a two-hour interview, showing that it is possible to train LLMs.
But is there a danger of this going too far?
Suppose you want to apply for a job and use ChatGPT to draft a cover letter. You’ve asked it to write in a way that comes across as really self-confident, but in reality, you are more introverted and shy.
This could result in an interview in which the person conducting it witnesses a different person than perceived in the application, which can waste time and money for both parties.
Alongside creating a persona, AI is frequently used to create deepfake videos and unauthorized digital manipulation, which could lead to harmful consequences and misuse.
“Allowing LLMs to be more dynamic in how they navigate different personality responses would be most beneficial to any workspace.”
How to Use AI Effectively
Training and upskilling
A key way we can use AI effectively in the workplace is when businesses need to train new employees, whether that is helping with drafting training guides or using it to explain specific terminology. LLMs can be very useful for this.
Every workplace will have a mixture of personality types who will benefit from different training styles, and with our research showing that each one also has a DISC type, you can use different LLMs depending on the person it’s serving.
| LLM | Audience Preference |
|---|---|
|
ChatGPT or CoPilot |
For those who want direct, decisive instructions on how to do a task |
|
Gemini or DeepSeak |
Use these for when you want to draft a guide or training document that is consistent and inspirational |
|
Perplexity |
This can be used when you want any work to be created with clarity and in a social tone |
Industry specifics
If our data shows that popular LLMs align with different DISC personalities, this raises the question of whether some should be used in specific industries over others.
Suppose you have an accounting firm, for example. This type of organization would prefer an LLM that should only take the inputs of what they are given and provide predictable outputs. They may not benefit from an overly friendly AI. In that case, you might want ChatGPT or CoPilot, which both possess a dominant and direct personality.
Adam notes, “Allowing LLMs to be more dynamic in how they navigate different personality responses would be most beneficial to any workspace.”
By considering the DISC personalities of LLMs, just as you would your colleagues, you can use AI in not only an effective way but also the right fit for your industry
The future of AI in the workplace
AI certainly has its spot in the workplace, with employees continuing to use LLMs for various tasks or training to improve efficiency. If we consider the ability to train them to match the tone we want, they can be very beneficial to workplaces, as long as you always check important information from these tools.
Furthermore, these tools should not replace people, and it is important for businesses to understand their employees’ DISC personalities through DISC assessments.
We offer a free DISC assessment for those wanting to learn more about their personality type and a range of other assessments to understand more facets of your personality.