Publication Date
2024
Document Type
Book
Description
As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, platforms where people interact with character-based AI chatbots have proliferated. With little research on popular platforms such as character.ai, many questions remain about the social implications of people fostering relationships and fulfilling their social needs with AI. What does it mean to converse with AI chatbots, and how does this interaction impact a person’s desire to socialize with other humans? To address these questions, this research analyzes the character.ai community using the tools of netnography and interviews with character.ai users. It explores why character-based chatbot use has become so popular and discusses the effects of using AI chatbots to replace social interactions. Based on preliminary findings, it is suggested that a combination of loneliness, shame, ideal chatbot responses, and the fulfillment of romantic fantasies contribute to the continued engagement with AI chatbots.
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Recommended Citation
Flores, Emma, "AI as a Replacement for Human Social Interaction: The Case of Character.ai" (2024). Research Days Posters 2024. 72.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/72