# "Who wants to be nagged by AI?": Investigating the Effects of Agreeableness on Older Adults' Perception of LLM-Based Voice Assistants' Explanations

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.09012 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.09012/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 9 Mar 2026.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- ["MeBo Leaves a Piece of You Behind": Designing a Relational Voice-Based Memory Companion for Older Adults](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.24706/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

LLM-based voice assistants (VAs) increasingly support older adults aging in place, yet how an assistant's agreeableness shapes explanation perception remains underexplored. We conducted a study(N=70) examining how VA agreeableness influences older adults' perceptions of explanations across routine and emergency home scenarios. High-agreeableness assistants were perceived as more trustworthy, empathetic, and likable, but these benefits diminished in emergencies where clarity outweighed warmth. Agreeableness did not affect perceived intelligence, suggesting social tone and competence are separable dimensions. Real-time environmental explanations outperformed history-based ones, and agreeable older adults penalized low-agreeableness assistants more strongly. These findings show the need to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to AI explainability, while balancing personality, context, and audience.