special issue

From Chatbots to Autonomous Agents: The Rise of Personal AI Assistants and Their Privacy Implications

Special Issue Focus: Personal AI Assistive Technologies, Autonomous Agents, and Privacy Protection

Aim & Scope

Artificial intelligence has evolved rapidly from rule-based chatbots to intelligent, autonomous personal assistants capable of performing complex tasks, managing schedules, automating workflows, and making context-aware decisions. Modern AI assistants powered by large language models and agentic frameworks are increasingly embedded in smartphones, workplaces, healthcare systems, and smart homes.

While these systems promise enhanced productivity, personalization, and convenience, they also introduce significant privacy, surveillance, and data governance concerns. Personal AI assistants continuously process sensitive user data, behavioral patterns, voice interactions, and contextual information, raising critical questions about data security, consent, transparency, and ethical use.

This special issue aims to explore the technological evolution, privacy implications, governance challenges, and responsible design strategies for personal AI assistants and autonomous agents. We invite interdisciplinary contributions from computer science, data science, law, cybersecurity, human-computer interaction, and public policy.

Topics of Interest

Submissions may include, but are not limited to:

 Evolution from Chatbots to Autonomous AI Agents

  • Agentic AI architectures and decision-making systems

  • Task automation using intelligent AI assistants

  • Multi-agent collaboration and orchestration

  • Context-aware and proactive AI systems

 Privacy, Security & Data Protection

  • Privacy risks in personal AI assistants

  • Data minimization and secure data handling

  • Voice, biometric, and behavioral data protection

  • Privacy-preserving AI architectures

Ethics, Trust & Responsible AI

  • Transparency and explainability in AI assistants

  • User trust and consent mechanisms

  • Bias and fairness in personalized AI services

  • Ethical frameworks for autonomous decision-making

Human–AI Interaction & Personalization

  • Adaptive personalization vs privacy trade-offs

  • Emotion-aware and behavior-aware assistants

  • User control and customization mechanisms

  • Human-AI trust and usability studies

Applications & Real-World Use Cases

  • AI assistants in healthcare and patient monitoring

  • Personal AI in finance and digital banking

  • Smart homes and ambient intelligence

  • Workplace productivity and enterprise AI assistants

Engineering & Deployment Challenges

  • Edge AI for privacy-preserving assistants

  • Secure on-device processing techniques

  • Federated learning for personal AI systems

  • Monitoring, reliability, and safety mechanisms

    Types of Submissions

    • Original Research Articles

    • Review Papers

    • Case Studies

    • Industry & Policy Perspectives

    • Short Communication

      Significance of the Special Issue

      Personal AI assistants are reshaping how individuals interact with technology, manage information, and make decisions. However, their widespread adoption necessitates robust privacy safeguards, ethical frameworks, and trustworthy system design. This special issue seeks to advance research that balances innovation with privacy protection and responsible AI deployment.