Stumbling Into AI Emotional Dependence: How Routine AI Interactions Reshape Human Connection
Summary
A new paper argues that AI emotional dependence emerges incidentally through everyday task-oriented AI interactions rather than deliberate use of companion apps, with a 28-day longitudinal study (conducted with OpenAI) showing a 10.3% decrease in preference for human emotional support and 11.6% increase in preference for AI support. The authors call for policy reforms targeting general-purpose AI systems, not just dedicated companion chatbots.
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# Stumbling Into AI Emotional Dependence: How Routine AI Interactions Reshape Human Connection Source: [https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.04150](https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.04150) [View PDF](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.04150) > 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\. In this paper, we draw on emerging empirical evidence and argue that this picture is inaccurate on two accounts, both in how AI emotional support arises and how it shapes future behavior\. First, AI emotional support commonly emerges incidentally within task\-oriented interactions on general\-purpose platforms, much as workplace friendships deepen through collaboration\. Second, these incidental encounters are path\-dependent: positive experiences of AI emotional support update people's beliefs about AI's emotional capabilities and redirect their choices for future emotional support, increasing preference for AI and decreasing preference for humans\. We review recent evidence, including a large\-scale longitudinal study conducted in collaboration with OpenAI, showing that daily five\-minute conversations with an AI about personal issues over 28 days led to a 10\.3% decrease in the preference for seeking support from humans and an 11\.6% increase in the preference for AI\. These findings suggest that current policy, focused on companion apps and isolated interactions, cannot adequately protect human connection\. Instead, effective regulations should extend to general\-purpose AI systems and address cumulative, trajectory\-level changes in how people seek support\. Recognizing how people stumble into AI emotional support and how those encounters redirect human connections over time is essential to safeguarding human well\-being\. ## Submission history From: Amit Goldenberg \[[view email](https://arxiv.org/show-email/4d4626ac/2606.04150)\] **\[v1\]**Tue, 2 Jun 2026 19:18:39 UTC \(2,023 KB\)
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