The Promise of Generative AI for Personalized Persuasion

Abstract

Generative AI (GenAI) has transformed many aspects of modern life. In this article, we explore the potential of GenAI for personalized persuasion: the process of tailoring the content of a persuasive message to an individual’s unique preferences, needs, and motivations. First, we describe how GenAI addresses the “identification-customization” challenge in personalized persuasion, and we offer a scoping review of the research supporting its effectiveness to date. Second, we introduce a framework that allows researchers to classify a study’s empirical approach according to several critical design choices, including (a) the data sources and types of personal information used to determine the personalized elements, (b) the complexity of the personalization approach, and (c) the delivery of the personalized content. This framework facilitates the integration of existing work and identifies important gaps in our current knowledge. We discuss promising avenues for future research throughout and conclude with a discussion of important ethical considerations.