arXiv:2606. 04150v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Public discourse and emerging policy typically assume that AI emotional support is a deliberate act: a lonely user consciously seeking comfort from a dedicated companion chatbot.
By Yaoxi Shi, Cathy Mengying Fang, Pattie Maez, Amit Goldenberg
arXiv:2607. 17826v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Despite the growing availability of customizable social artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, Grok, and Character.
By Marita Skjuve, Anna Gr{\o}ndal Larsen, Asbj{\o}rn F{\o}lstad, Nena van As, Petter Bae Brandtzaeg
Despite the growing availability of customizable social artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, Grok, and Character. ai, we know little about how users actively shape social AI to reflect their personal preferences.
arXiv:2608. 10672v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Social interaction has become one of the most common uses of LLMs, yet research on emotional bonds with AI has focused largely on how users experience these systems, leaving the systems' role in relationship formation poorly understood.
By Lisa M\"uhl, Jessica M. Szczuka
arXiv:2609.00250v1 Announce Type: cross
Abstract: Many people now see AI systems as not just productivity tools but as social companions. Researchers are eager to study the consequences of AI compani...
By Jacy Reese Anthis, Mark D\'iaz, Renee Shelby
arXiv:2607. 25166v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: AI chatbots can be ``sycophantic,'' or overly agreeable and flattering toward users.
By Meryl Ye, Robert Kraut, Steve Rathje
arXiv:2509. 02910v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) increasingly act on people's behalf: they write emails, buy groceries, and book restaurants.
By Sandra C. Matz, Kimberly Klugescheid, C. Blaine Horton, Sofie Goethals
arXiv:2607. 25057v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: As conversational AI systems become increasingly integrated into daily life, their potential effects on user well-being require ongoing attention.
By Jina Suh, Mihaela Vorvoreanu, Forough Poursabzi-Sangdeh, Emily Tseng, Eugenia Kim, Luke Nicholls, James W. Pennebaker, Eric Horvitz
arXiv:2607. 27179v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Conversational AI is increasingly positioned as a teammate rather than a tool, yet we know little about how its presence reshapes communication among the humans on the team.
By Nia Nixon, Jaeyoon Choi, Pedro Martins De Bastos, Mohammad Amin Samadi, Luise Mehner, Seehee Park, Spencer JaQuay
OpenAI’s new Expert Council on Well-Being and AI brings together leading psychologists, clinicians, and researchers to guide how ChatGPT supports emotional health, especially for teens. Learn how their insights are shaping safer, more caring AI experiences.
The study evaluates PAIR, a theory-based emotion‑regulation companion, over 14 days with 19 participants, analyzing 1,093 sessions. Emotion estimates from the agent aligned better with participants’ self‑reported valence and dominance than arousal, and guided conversations led to higher valence and state‑dependent arousal changes. Participants reported feeling understood, and the perceived helpfulness of guided conversations increased over time, highlighting the role of memory updates and cross‑session personalization in sustained emotional support.
By Kexin Quan, Zijian Ding, Jiaye Yong, Qinshi Zhang, Dong Wang, Jessie Chin
arXiv:2606. 18265v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: As human relationships with artificial intelligence systems become increasingly frequent and sustained, existing language and theory fail to accurately capture the nature of these affiliations.
By Richard A. Fabes (Arizona State University)