AI-generated Personas: Between Marketing Promises and Scientific Evidence
Firas Al Laban, Emily Penk, Tara-Marie Endries, Tobias Moebert, Ulrike Lucke · Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI) · 2026
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly transforming the persona lifecycle within IT system development by acting as an enabler of creativity and efficiency. While GenAI tools can streamline persona generation, they may reduce human involvement in meaning-making, potentially hindering long-term expertise and cognitive capacity building. These effects likely vary with task complexity and user expertise. This article specifically examines the benefits and risks of integrating GenAI into the persona process. By mapping these dynamics, we provide practical conclusions for leveraging GenAI's potential in persona-driven design and identify critical open questions for further research.