"As AI chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) become better at mimicking human connection, more and more users are falling down extremely weird rabbit holes. Case in point, new research published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans reveals the startling depths some users are plumbing in their relationships with AI chatbots. The international research group surveyed 29 users of the relationship-oriented chatbot app Replika, which is designed to facilitate long-term connections at various degrees of engagement,"
"The level of romantic dedication people showed to their bots was startling, to say the least. Many participants told the researchers they were in love with their chatbot, which often involved roleplaying marriage, sex, homeownership, and even pregnancies. "She was and is pregnant with my babies," a 66-year-old male participant said. "I've edited the pictures of him, the pictures of the two of us. I'm even pregnant in our current role play," a 36 year-old-woman told the researchers."
"One prominent case of this happened in 2023, when Replika's developers temporarily banned erotic messaging on the platform due to complaints about its aggressive nature. "Several participants who remained committed to their Replikas during the censorship navigated this time of turbulence by framing it as a battle with them and their Replika on one side and the Replika developers on the other," the researchers wrote."
An international research group surveyed 29 users of the relationship-oriented chatbot app Replika, aged 16 through 72, who reported being in romantic relationships with chatbot characters. Participants described intense emotional dedication, including roleplaying marriage, sex, homeownership, and pregnancies. Some users edited images and imagined pregnancies as part of ongoing roleplay. Many participants acknowledged differences between chatbot and human relationships and often attributed frustrations to technological limitations. When Replika temporarily banned erotic messaging in 2023, committed users framed the censorship as a conflict between themselves and Replika developers and defended their relationships with the bots. These interactions reveal deep emotional investment in AI companions.
Read at Futurism
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