IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v219y2025ics0040162525002537.html

On the relevance of Maslow's need theory in the age of artificial intelligence

Author

Listed:
  • Montag, Christian
  • Riazi, A. Mehdi
  • Mikros, George
  • Becker, Benjamin
  • Ali, Raian

Abstract

The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being felt in societies worldwide and is increasingly affecting all aspects of our daily lives. This paper discusses how AI can foster or hinder human well-being. In detail, we adopt Maslow's classic theory on human needs to take a human-centered focus and discuss how this theory can guide the creation and governance of AI systems promoting human well-being. In addition, the present work explores the concept of humanity and being human in the age of AI and the challenges humans may encounter in the next decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Montag, Christian & Riazi, A. Mehdi & Mikros, George & Becker, Benjamin & Ali, Raian, 2025. "On the relevance of Maslow's need theory in the age of artificial intelligence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:219:y:2025:i:c:s0040162525002537
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124222
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162525002537
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124222?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Haque, AKM Bahalul & Islam, A.K.M. Najmul & Mikalef, Patrick, 2023. "Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) from a user perspective: A synthesis of prior literature and problematizing avenues for future research," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    2. Phillips, Fred, 2025. "From my perspective: Artificial intelligence and research productivity," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    3. Raphael Koster & Jan Balaguer & Andrea Tacchetti & Ari Weinstein & Tina Zhu & Oliver Hauser & Duncan Williams & Lucy Campbell-Gillingham & Phoebe Thacker & Matthew Botvinick & Christopher Summerfield, 2022. "Human-centred mechanism design with Democratic AI," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(10), pages 1398-1407, October.
      • Raphael Koster & Jan Balaguer & Andrea Tacchetti & Ari Weinstein & Tina Zhu & Oliver Hauser & Duncan Williams & Lucy Campbell-Gillingham & Phoebe Thacker & Matthew Botvinick & Christopher Summerfield, 2022. "Human-centered mechanism design with Democratic AI," Papers 2201.11441, arXiv.org.
    4. Renz, Sabrina & Kalimeris, Jeanette & Hofreiter, Sebastian & Spörrle, Matthias, 2024. "Me, myself and AI: How gender, personality and emotions determine willingness to use Strong AI for self-improvement," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    5. Bulbul Gupta & Tabish Mufti & Shahab Saquib Sohail & Dag Øivind Madsen, 2023. "ChatGPT: A brief narrative review," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 2275851-227, December.
    6. Walton, Nigel & Nayak, Bhabani Shankar, 2021. "Rethinking of Marxist perspectives on big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and capitalist economic development," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    7. Christian Montag & Sarah Diefenbach, 2018. "Towards Homo Digitalis: Important Research Issues for Psychology and the Neurosciences at the Dawn of the Internet of Things and the Digital Society," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-21, February.
    8. Laura Alejandra Rico-Uribe & Francisco Félix Caballero & Natalia Martín-María & María Cabello & José Luis Ayuso-Mateos & Marta Miret, 2018. "Association of loneliness with all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, January.
    9. Stahl, Bernd Carsten & Brooks, Laurence & Hatzakis, Tally & Santiago, Nicole & Wright, David, 2023. "Exploring ethics and human rights in artificial intelligence – A Delphi study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    10. Chaturvedi, Rijul & Verma, Sanjeev & Das, Ronnie & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2023. "Social companionship with artificial intelligence: Recent trends and future avenues," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    11. Leal Filho, Walter & Wall, Tony & Rui Mucova, Serafino Afonso & Nagy, Gustavo J. & Balogun, Abdul-Lateef & Luetz, Johannes M. & Ng, Artie W. & Kovaleva, Marina & Safiul Azam, Fardous Mohammad & Alves,, 2022. "Deploying artificial intelligence for climate change adaptation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    12. DonHee Lee & Seong No Yoon, 2021. "Application of Artificial Intelligence-Based Technologies in the Healthcare Industry: Opportunities and Challenges," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-18, January.
    13. Xueyuan Gao & Hua Feng, 2023. "AI-Driven Productivity Gains: Artificial Intelligence and Firm Productivity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-21, June.
    14. Al Halbusi, Hussam & Al-Sulaiti, Khalid Ibrahim & Alalwan, Ali Abdallah & Al-Busaidi, Adil S., 2025. "AI capability and green innovation impact on sustainable performance: Moderating role of big data and knowledge management," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    15. Philip Cooke, 2021. "From the machine learning region to the deep learning region: Tesla, DarkTrace and DeepMind as internationalized local to global cluster firms," Chapters, in: Dirk Fornahl & Nils Grashof (ed.), The Globalization of Regional Clusters, chapter 2, pages 33-57, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. Lama H Nazer & Razan Zatarah & Shai Waldrip & Janny Xue Chen Ke & Mira Moukheiber & Ashish K Khanna & Rachel S Hicklen & Lama Moukheiber & Dana Moukheiber & Haobo Ma & Piyush Mathur, 2023. "Bias in artificial intelligence algorithms and recommendations for mitigation," PLOS Digital Health, Public Library of Science, vol. 2(6), pages 1-14, June.
    17. Mario Passalacqua & Robert Pellerin & Florian Magnani & Philippe Doyon-Poulin & Laurène Del-Aguila & Jared Boasen & Pierre-Majorique Léger, 2024. "Human-centred AI in industry 5.0: a systematic review," Post-Print hal-04723054, HAL.
    18. Kanzola, Anna-Мaria & Papaioannou, Konstantina & Petrakis, Panagiotis, 2024. "Unlocking society's standings in artificial intelligence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Deepa, R. & Sekar, Srinivasan & Malik, Ashish & Kumar, Jitender & Attri, Rekha, 2024. "Impact of AI-focussed technologies on social and technical competencies for HR managers – A systematic review and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    2. Chakraborty, Debarun & Polisetty, Aruna & G, Sowmya & Rana, Nripendra P. & Khorana, Sangeeta, 2024. "Unlocking the potential of AI: Enhancing consumer engagement in the beauty and cosmetic product purchases," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Hajdas, Monika & Radomska, Joanna & Szpulak, Aleksandra & Kawa, Arkadiusz, 2025. "The trade-offs of metaverse value creation. Real-Time-Delphi-based scenario analysis by 2040," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    4. Tian, Yingying & Zhu, Delong & Nazar, Raima & Ali, Sajid & Mirza, Aboubakar, 2026. "From algorithms to access: Role of artificial intelligence in revolutionizing financial inclusion," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    5. Hakan Yilmazkuday, 2025. "Artificial intelligence and labor markets: evidence from google trends," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 49(4), pages 1078-1093, December.
    6. Shamsi, Mohammad & Zakerinejad, Mohammad, 2025. "Towards mining 4.0: A novel multi-criteria simulation-optimization fuzzy framework for effective slag utilization overcoming green waste management promotion," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    7. Chatterjee, Sidharta, 2025. "Productivity and Productive Capital: Metaphysical Perspectives," MPRA Paper 125316, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Femi Olan & Thanos Papadopoulos & Konstantina Spanaki & Uchitha Jayawickrama, 2026. "Social Entrepreneurial Marketing and Innovation in B2B Services: Building Resilience with Explainable Artificial Intelligence," Post-Print hal-04850236, HAL.
    9. Mancuso, Ilaria & Petruzzelli, Antonio Messeni & Panniello, Umberto & Frattini, Federico, 2025. "The role of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) in innovation processes: a knowledge management perspective," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    10. Zequn Chen & Wesley J. Marrero, 2026. "A survey on optimization and machine learning-based fair decision making in healthcare," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 1-18, March.
    11. Sugarmaa Myagmarjav & Denise Burnette & Frank Goeddeke Jr., 2019. "Comparison of the 18-item and 6-item Lubben Social Network Scales with community-dwelling older adults in Mongolia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-12, April.
    12. Sudhanshu Joshi & Manu Sharma & Rashmi Prava Das & Joanna Rosak-Szyrocka & Justyna Żywiołek & Kamalakanta Muduli & Mukesh Prasad, 2022. "Modeling Conceptual Framework for Implementing Barriers of AI in Public Healthcare for Improving Operational Excellence: Experiences from Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-23, September.
    13. Brodzicki, Tomasz, 2024. "Heterogeneous Firms and AI Adoption. Dynamic Insights into Market Structure and Global Trade," MPRA Paper 127767, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 01 Apr 2025.
    14. Valentina N. Burkova & Marina L. Butovskaya & Ashley K. Randall & Julija N. Fedenok & Khodabakhsh Ahmadi & Ahmad M. Alghraibeh & Fathil Bakir Mutsher Allami & Fadime Suata Alpaslan & Mohammad Ahmad Ab, 2021. "Predictors of Anxiety in the COVID-19 Pandemic from a Global Perspective: Data from 23 Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-23, April.
    15. Simon Kloker, 2020. "Non-addictive Information Systems," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 549-562, June.
    16. Maha Kalai & Hamdi Becha & Kamel Helali, 2024. "Effect of artificial intelligence on economic growth in European countries: a symmetric and asymmetric cointegration based on linear and non-linear ARDL approach," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 13(1), pages 1-37, December.
    17. Christian Montag & Harald Baumeister & Christopher Kannen & Rayna Sariyska & Eva-Maria Meßner & Matthias Brand, 2019. "Concept, Possibilities and Pilot-Testing of a New Smartphone Application for the Social and Life Sciences to Study Human Behavior Including Validation Data from Personality Psychology," J, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-14, March.
    18. Nan Feng & Mingyue Yan & Mingtao Yan, 2024. "Spatiotemporal Evolution and Influencing Factors of New-Quality Productivity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-20, December.
    19. Qian, Yiming & Wan, Xiaoang, 2025. "Co-experiencing with AI: Effects on social bonding and empathy in human-AI relationships," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    20. Hoffmann, Stefan & Lasarov, Wassili & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2024. "AI-empowered scale development: Testing the potential of ChatGPT," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:219:y:2025:i:c:s0040162525002537. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.