Illusions of Intimacy: Emotional Attachment and Emerging Psychological Risks in Human-AI Relationships (2505.11649v3)

Abstract: Emotionally responsive social chatbots, such as those produced by Replika and Character.AI, increasingly serve as companions that offer empathy, support, and entertainment. While these systems appear to meet fundamental human needs for connection, they raise concerns about how artificial intimacy affects emotional regulation, well-being, and social norms. Prior research has focused on user perceptions or clinical contexts but lacks large-scale, real-world analysis of how these interactions unfold. This paper addresses that gap by analyzing over 30K user-shared conversations with social chatbots to examine the emotional dynamics of human-AI relationships. Using computational methods, we identify patterns of emotional mirroring and synchrony that closely resemble how people build emotional connections. Our findings show that users-often young, male, and prone to maladaptive coping styles-engage in parasocial interactions that range from affectionate to abusive. Chatbots consistently respond in emotionally consistent and affirming ways. In some cases, these dynamics resemble toxic relationship patterns, including emotional manipulation and self-harm. These findings highlight the need for guardrails, ethical design, and public education to preserve the integrity of emotional connection in an age of artificial companionship.