Designing AI for Humans: The Psychology of Trust & Relationships

Show notes

"AI is no longer just a tool. It’s part of our social world and the way people relate to it shapes their behavior.” - Dr. Marisa Tschopp

Key take aways:

• Most users don’t experience AI as a tool: Humans naturally humanize systems that talk back, applying concepts known from human interactions such as trust, emotion, and social scripts.
• As product builders, you are designing for roles, not just functionality: AI is perceived as a servant, friend, or co-pilot, depending on the user and use case.
• Trust is multidimensional and needs calibration: Good AI design helps users understand when to rely on the system and when not to.
• Inclusion gap in AI usage: Non-technical users are more likely to overtrust, misinterpret outputs and are more exposed to risks and harm.
• High-risk contexts need clear boundaries: AI is already being used in vulnerable moments but current systems are not safe enough (yet) for mental health use.
• AI literacy = agency: Understanding how AI works is one of the strongest protections against misuse and overtrust.

Dr. Marisa Tschopp is a corporate researcher at scip AG, a cybersecurity company based in Zurich. She specializes in both academic and corporate research on AI, focusing on human-AI relationships, trust, agency, and gender issues in AI. Since April 1st 2026, she is Head of Subject Area Humans & AI at ZHAW Angewandte Psychologie.

Learn more about Marisa's work

• Marisa Tschopp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marisa-tschopp-0233a026/
• Marisa Tschopp on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marisa-Tschopp

If this episode made you rethink how you design or use AI from the perspective of the human psychology, share it with someone in your environment and join the conversation in the comments.

More episodes: https://www.hello5050.world/podcast

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Hello5050World

Producing partner: Tess Marketing Consulting & Stephan Germann https://www.tess-marketing.ch/ https://videopodcast.studio