Personality traits in female entrepreneurship: AI-based assessment vs. self-perception biases and tailored educational intervention

Introduction Understanding the entrepreneurial mindset and its psychological foundations has become a priority in education aimed at sustainability and innovation. Personality traits and socioemotional competencies play a key role in shaping entrepreneurial dispositions; however, self-report measures may be affected by subjectivity and self-perception biases. Methods This study examines the relationship between self-confidence, entrepreneurial self-perception, and OCEAN/Big Five personality traits in a multinational sample of university students. A total of 409 participants from six countries participated in the study. Self-confidence was measured using the Self-Confidence subscale of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile (EMP), while entrepreneurial self-perception was assessed using a single self-report item. In parallel, the 35 Big Five facets were inferred using a natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence tool (Human AI) applied to free-text narratives (approximately 800–1,000 words). Pearson correlations, linear regressions, and Random Forest models with 10-fold cross-validation were conducted. Results Self-confidence showed a significant negative correlation with Neuroticism (r = −0.33, p < .01), suggesting that emotional stability is associated with higher entrepreneurial self-confidence. Random Forest analyses identified Modesty, Artistic Interests, Neuroticism, Outgoing, and Adventurousness as the most relevant predictors of entrepreneurial self-perception. No overall gender differences were found in entrepreneurial self-perception levels, although different dispositional patterns emerged in the predictors. Discussion The findings highlight the role of emotional stability and socioemotional competencies in shaping entrepreneurial profiles and suggest that AI-based personality inference can complement traditional self-report measures by mitigating self-perception biases. These results provide relevant implications for educational leadership and support the design of tailored educational interventions to foster entrepreneurial competencies in higher education contexts.