We study how people and AI shape each other: how consumers, employees, and citizens experience AI systems (ConsumerX), how speech and language reveal deeper psychological states in human–AI interaction (VoiceX), how to design AI technologies that are more effective, intuitive, and trustworthy (DesignX), and how to build the tools and methods that make behavioral AI research robust and transparent at scale (ToolX).
Our research addresses some of the most consequential questions at the intersection of AI and human behavior — from autonomous shopping agents that act on consumers’ behalf, to large language models reshaping financial advisory and mental healthcare, to workplace AI transforming how people make decisions and collaborate. This work is conducted with and supported by leading organizations across consumer electronics (Logitech), financial services (Swiss Re, UBS, Julius Bär), healthcare (Roche Diagnostics), and the automotive industry (Audi, VW, Skoda, Porsche).
Our research creates impact across six domains where AI is fundamentally reshaping how people interact with AI agents, organizations, and each other.
1. Autonomous Commerce & Agentic AI
How consumers experience, trust, and delegate decisions to autonomous shopping agents, AI-powered marketplaces, and personalized recommendation systems.
2. Financial Services & Advisory
How conversational design, voice modality, and interface architecture shape trust, risk perception, and advisory outcomes in wealth management, insurance, and banking.
3. Healthcare & Wellbeing
How AI companions, therapy bots, and diagnostic assistants affect emotional wellbeing, and social connection,
4. Workplace & Productivity
How AI augments — and sometimes undermines — human judgment, collaboration, and creativity in professional workplace settings.
5. Automotive & Industrial Automation
How the physical embodiment and movement patterns of AI systems shape human comfort, safety, and collaboration in manufacturing settings.
6. Digital Platforms & Social Media
Scalable tools and methods for in-context experimentation and behavioral measurement on algorithmically mediated platforms.
We study how AI systems — from conversational agents and robo-advisors to autonomous shopping agents and AI companions — shape the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dynamics of the consumer experience. As AI increasingly acts on behalf of consumers, makes recommendations in high-stakes domains, and serves as a social presence, understanding these interactions becomes critical for businesses, policymakers, and society.
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As large language models power increasingly sophisticated conversational agents in sensitive domains — from financial advisory to mental health support — understanding and designing the voice and language layer of these systems becomes essential.
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As AI systems become more autonomous and pervasive in both consumer and workplace settings, designing interactions that are perceived as safe, intuitive, transparent, and emotionally resonant is a central design challenge and focus of our research.
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We develop and build open-source tools and infrastructure to measure and understand human behavior with AI technologies at scale and in real-world environments. This includes LLM-powered research applications that bring academic insights directly into the hands of practitioners and consumers. Our work also contributes to meta-science through replication efforts, large-scale meta-analyses, and initiatives that promote transparency, reproducibility, and cumulative evidence generation in behavioral and consumer research.
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Executive Director
Head of Administration
Senior Researcher
Researcher & PhD Student
Researcher & PhD Student
Research Assistant
Research Assistant
Researcher & PhD Student
University of Geneva, former P&G
Google, former TikTok
PwC
Bain & Company
Digitec Galaxus
EDGE Empower
ETH Zürich
