View source for The Future of Human Relationships in an AI World

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|title=The Future of Human Relationships in an AI World

|description=An overview of how artificial intelligence is reshaping friendship, romance, mental health, family life, work, caregiving, privacy, ethics, and human connection, drawing on research from academic institutions, governments, and technology organizations.

|keywords=AI relationships, AI companions, artificial intelligence, human connection, friendship, loneliness, romance, AI dating, chatbots, emotional support, social robots, mental health, ethics, privacy, surveillance, anthropomorphism, AI therapy, digital relationships, human-centered AI

|image=File:Placeholder.png

|image_width=300

|image_height=200

|type=article}}

[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Human Relationships]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Mental Health]]
[[Category:Technology and Society]]
[[Category:Ethics]]
[[Category:Privacy]]
[[Category:Digital Culture]]

__NOTOC__

== The Future of Human Relationships in an AI World ==

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday human relationships. Research increasingly examines how AI companions, chatbots, social robots, and intelligent assistants influence friendship, romance, caregiving, education, work, mental health, and community life. While AI can provide convenience, emotional support, and new opportunities for communication, researchers consistently emphasize that authentic human relationships remain essential for long-term well-being.

=== AI Companions and Emotional Relationships ===

AI companions are evolving from simple assistants into conversational partners that many people use for companionship, emotional support, advice, and even romance. Studies examine why people form emotional attachments to AI, how these systems satisfy social needs, and whether artificial relationships complement or replace human interaction. Researchers continue to debate the psychological benefits alongside the risks of dependency and unrealistic expectations.

=== Loneliness, Friendship and Social Connection ===

Many studies explore whether AI companions can reduce loneliness. Some evidence suggests that conversational AI can temporarily make users feel heard and supported, particularly among socially isolated individuals. However, public-health research consistently concludes that lasting well-being depends upon genuine human relationships, strong communities, and face-to-face social interaction rather than technological substitutes.

=== Romance, Dating and Artificial Intimacy ===

Artificial intelligence is transforming modern dating through AI matchmaking, dating assistants, conversation coaching, and personalized companions. Researchers investigate how AI affects intimacy, attraction, trust, and romantic expectations while warning that artificial partners may reshape people's understanding of commitment, vulnerability, and emotional reciprocity.

=== Mental Health and Emotional Support ===

Many people increasingly use AI for emotional support and mental-health conversations. Researchers acknowledge that chatbots can provide immediate accessibility, coping exercises, and supportive conversation, but professional organizations consistently warn that AI cannot replace licensed mental-health professionals, therapeutic responsibility, or crisis intervention.

=== Children, Teenagers and Young Adults ===

Young people are among the fastest adopters of AI companions. Researchers examine how AI influences social development, friendship, emotional regulation, education, and identity formation. Child-development experts recommend strong safeguards, parental involvement, transparency, and digital literacy to ensure AI supplements rather than replaces healthy human relationships.

=== Older Adults, Caregiving and Social Robots ===

Social robots and AI assistants offer opportunities to reduce isolation among older adults while supporting caregiving, independent living, and daily activities. Healthcare researchers generally conclude that technology should enhance human caregiving instead of replacing personal relationships, compassion, and professional judgment.

=== Human Attachment and Anthropomorphism ===

Humans naturally attribute emotions, personalities, and intentions to conversational technology. Researchers study anthropomorphism, the ELIZA effect, and emotional attachment to understand why AI interactions often feel authentic despite lacking consciousness or genuine emotional experience. This phenomenon has become increasingly important as AI systems become more conversational and personalized.

=== Ethics, Privacy and Corporate Responsibility ===

Ethical concerns include emotional manipulation, privacy, commercial surveillance, behavioral influence, and the collection of deeply personal information through AI conversations. Governments, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations increasingly advocate for transparency, accountability, human oversight, and stronger protections for emotionally vulnerable users.

=== AI in Family, Work and Everyday Life ===

Artificial intelligence increasingly influences workplace collaboration, parenting, caregiving, mentoring, and family communication. While AI may automate routine tasks and improve efficiency, researchers emphasize preserving trust, empathy, collaboration, and authentic interpersonal relationships within families, workplaces, and communities.

=== Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence ===

Many organizations advocate designing AI that strengthens rather than replaces human relationships. Human-centered AI emphasizes dignity, autonomy, transparency, fairness, community participation, and technology that encourages real-world social interaction instead of maximizing engagement or emotional dependence.

=== Conclusion ===

The growing body of research suggests that AI will become a permanent part of human social life. Artificial intelligence can provide valuable assistance, companionship, education, and emotional support, but it cannot fully reproduce the reciprocity, accountability, empathy, and shared experiences that define authentic human relationships. Most experts conclude that the healthiest future lies in designing AI to complement, strengthen, and encourage human connection rather than substitute for it.

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=== Emerging Human–AI Relationships ===
2026 — Artificial Intelligence and the Psychology of Human Connection
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12960742/ | Ryan L. Boyd et al. | National Library of Medicine | 2026]
January 1, 2026 — AI Chatbots and Digital Companions Are Reshaping Emotional Connection
[https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/01-02/trends-digital-ai-relationships-emotional-connection | Zara Abrams | American Psychological Association | January 1, 2026]
2025 — The Relational Shift: Why We Need “AI Psychology” Now
[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/29974100.2025.2573928 | Alaa Alqasir | Taylor & Francis | 2025]
2025 — Companionship in Code: AI’s Role in the Future of Human Connection
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-05536-x | Malin Andersson | Humanities and Social Sciences Communications | 2025]
2025 — The Impacts of Companion AI on Human Relationships
[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00146-025-02318-6 | K. Malfacini et al. | AI & Society | 2025]
2025 — Potential and Pitfalls of Romantic Artificial Intelligence Relationships
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958825001307 | J. Q. H. Ho et al. | Technology in Society | 2025]
June 14, 2025 — The Rise of AI Companions: How Human–Chatbot Relationships Influence Well-Being
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.12605 | Yutong Zhang, Dora Zhao, Jeffrey Hancock, Robert Kraut and Diyi Yang | arXiv | June 14, 2025]
November 17, 2023 — Chatbots as Social Companions: How People Perceive Consciousness, Human Likeness and Social Health
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.10599 | Rose E. Guingrich and Michael S. A. Graziano | arXiv | November 17, 2023]
2023 — Social Companionship with Artificial Intelligence
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162523003190 | R. Chaturvedi et al. | Technological Forecasting and Social Change | 2023]
December 7, 2020 — Are Friends Electric? The Benefits and Risks of Human–Robot Relationships
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7809509/ | Tony J. Prescott and Hannah Robillard | National Library of Medicine | December 7, 2020]

=== AI Companions and Loneliness ===
February 12, 2026 — Not a Silver Bullet for Loneliness: How Attachment and Age Shape Intimacy with AI Companions
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.12476 | Raffaele Ciriello, Uri Gal and Ofir Turel | arXiv | February 12, 2026]
December 28, 2025 — Could AI Relationships Actually Be Good for Us?
[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/28/could-ai-relationships-actually-be-good-for-us | James Muldoon | The Guardian | December 28, 2025]
August 22, 2025 — AI Lovers Grieve Loss of ChatGPT’s Old Model
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/22/ai-chatgpt-new-model-grief | Johana Bhuiyan | The Guardian | August 22, 2025]
2025 — Individual Differences in Anthropomorphism Help Explain Social Connection to AI Companions
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12540830/ | Daniel Folk et al. | Scientific Reports | 2025]
May 29, 2025 — AI Companions and AI Chatbot Risks
[https://www.digitalforlife.gov.sg/learn/resources/all-resources/ai-companions-ai-chatbot-risks | Digital for Life | Government of Singapore | May 29, 2025]
May 15, 2025 — Do You Trust Mark Zuckerberg to Solve Your Loneliness with an “AI Friend”?
[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/15/mark-zuckerberg-loneliness-epidemic-ai-friends | Emma Brockes | The Guardian | May 15, 2025]
April 15, 2025 — “She Helps Cheer Me Up”: People Forming Relationships with AI Chatbots
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/15/she-helps-cheer-me-up-the-people-forming-relationships-with-ai-chatbots | Clea Skopeliti | The Guardian | April 15, 2025]
March 25, 2025 — Heavy ChatGPT Users Tend to Be More Lonely
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/25/heavy-chatgpt-users-tend-to-be-more-lonely-suggests-research | Rachel Hall | The Guardian | March 25, 2025]
August 2, 2024 — Can an AI Friend Make You Less Lonely?
[https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2024/aug/02/ai-friend-wearable-companion-loneliness | Alaina Demopoulos | The Guardian | August 2, 2024]
June 5, 2023 — Social Robots as Companions for Lonely Hearts
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.02694 | Yoonwon Jung and Sowon Hahn | arXiv | June 5, 2023]

=== Romance, Love and Artificial Intimacy ===
August 1, 2026 — Great Conversation, Dry Humour: My AI Companion
[https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/ai-chatbot-companion-human-relationship-gqlkrcg2p | Richard Lloyd Parry | The Times | August 1, 2026]
April 13, 2026 — When AI Chatbots Replace Human Intimacy
[https://eu-opensci.org/index.php/ejsocial/article/view/70246 | European Journal of Social Sciences | April 13, 2026]
March 26, 2026 — Esther Perel Provided Couples Therapy for a Man and His AI “Girlfriend”
[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/26/esther-perel-man-ai-girlfriend-couples-counselling | Emily Mulligan | The Guardian | March 26, 2026]
January 13, 2026 — Love Machines by James Muldoon Review
[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/13/love-machines-by-james-muldoon-review-the-risks-and-rewards-of-getting-intimate-with-ai | Steven Poole | The Guardian | January 13, 2026]
September 9, 2025 — The Women in Love with AI Companions
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/09/ai-chatbot-love-relationships | Alaina Demopoulos | The Guardian | September 9, 2025]
2025 — Human–AI Relationships and Their Therapeutic Implications
[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393428664_Human-AI_Relationships_and_Their_Therapeutic_Implications | Various Authors | ResearchGate | 2025]
June 16, 2024 — Computer Says Yes: How AI Is Changing Our Romantic Lives
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/16/computer-says-yes-how-ai-is-changing-our-romantic-lives | Amelia Abraham | The Guardian | June 16, 2024]
February 18, 2024 — Can AI Porn Be Ethical?
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/feb/18/ethics-ai-porn | Laurie Clarke | The Guardian | February 18, 2024]
December 14, 2023 — How Rizz Assistants and AI Matchmakers Are Transforming Dating
[https://time.com/6457597/ai-dating/ | Andrew R. Chow | Time | December 14, 2023]
March 19, 2023 — “I Learned to Love the Bot”: Chatbots That Want to Be Your Best Friend
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/19/i-learned-to-love-the-bot-meet-the-chatbots-that-want-to-be-your-best-friend | Laurie Clarke | The Guardian | March 19, 2023]

=== AI Matchmaking and the Future of Dating ===
July 31, 2026 — AI Wants to Be Your New Matchmaker
[https://www.cosmopolitan.com/relationships/a73250380/ai-matchmaking-dating-apps/ | Jillian Angelini | Cosmopolitan | July 31, 2026]
July 31, 2026 — This AI Assistant Wants to Make Up for Your Boyfriend’s Incompetence
[https://www.wired.com/story/this-ai-assistants-whole-pitch-is-making-up-for-your-boyfriends-incompetence | Aarian Marshall | Wired | July 31, 2026]
June 8, 2026 — Smartphones Broke Dating. AI Might Finish the Job
[https://www.vox.com/politics/491167/ai-smartphones-fertility-crisis-birth-rates | Eric Levitz | Vox | June 8, 2026]
April 13, 2026 — AI Agents Are Coming for Your Dating Life
[https://www.wired.com/story/ai-agents-are-coming-for-your-dating-life-next | Joel Khalili | Wired | April 13, 2026]
February 14, 2026 — Is It Love, or Is It an AI Romance Scam?
[https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/479200/ai-romance-scams-valentines-day | Celia Ford | Vox | February 14, 2026]
February 4, 2026 — Review: Three Day Rule AI Matchmaking
[https://www.wired.com/review/three-day-rule-matchmaking-app | Molly Higgins | Wired | February 4, 2026]
October 8, 2025 — Technology Is Taking Over Our Love Lives
[https://time.com/7320982/technology-taking-over-love-lives/ | Catherine Auman | Time | October 8, 2025]
2024 — AI Could Transform Dating Apps—but Should It?
[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-could-transform-dating-apps-but-should-it/ | Sophie Bushwick | Scientific American | 2024]
February 2024 — Your AI Dating Coach Is Ready to Help
[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/love-digitally/202402/your-ai-dating-coach-is-ready-to-help | Liesel Sharabi | Psychology Today | February 2024]
February 2, 2023 — AI and the Future of Online Dating
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/02/02/from-looking-for-love-to-swiping-the-field-online-dating-in-the-u-s/ | Colleen McClain and Emily A. Vogels | Pew Research Center | February 2, 2023]

=== Friendship, Social Skills and Human Connection ===
August 6, 2026 — The AI Bros Are Lonely
[https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-bros-lonely-isolated-friends-2026-8 | Lakshmi Varanasi | Business Insider | August 6, 2026]
January 29, 2026 — What Technology Takes from Us—and How to Take It Back
[https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/29/what-technology-takes-from-us-and-how-to-take-it-back | Rebecca Solnit | The Guardian | January 29, 2026]
2025 — Friendship, Loneliness and the Ethics of AI Companions
[https://conferences.leeds.ac.uk/the-future-of-practical-ethics-2025/wp-content/uploads/sites/113/2025/07/Friendship-Loneliness-and-the-Ethics-of-AI-Companions.pdf | University of Leeds | The Future of Practical Ethics | 2025]
January 31, 2025 — Social Robots as Social Proxies for Fostering Connection and Empathy Towards Humanity
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.00221 | Jocelyn Shen, Audrey Lee, Sharifa Alghowinem, River Adkins, Cynthia Breazeal and Hae Won Park | arXiv | January 31, 2025]
2024 — AI Companions Reduce Loneliness
[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4899266 | Julian De Freitas et al. | SSRN | 2024]
2024 — Loneliness and Social Connections
[https://ourworldindata.org/social-connections-and-loneliness | Esteban Ortiz-Ospina | Our World in Data | 2024]
2024 — AI Chatbots as a Social Support Tool
[https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-companions-can-reduce-loneliness | Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence | Stanford University | 2024]
June 4, 2024 — Virtual Living Rooms, Adult After-School Clubs and AI Lovers
[https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/04/loneliness-digital-connection-cures | Alaina Demopoulos | The Guardian | June 4, 2024]
2023 — Social Connection as a Public-Health Priority
[https://www.who.int/groups/commission-on-social-connection | World Health Organization | WHO | 2023]
May 2023 — Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
[https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf | Office of the U.S. Surgeon General | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | May 2023]

=== Adolescents, Children and AI Relationships ===
2026 — AI Companions and Adolescent Social Relationships
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12928748/ | Xiaoyan Sun et al. | National Library of Medicine | 2026]
2025 — AI Companions and Kids: A Guide for Parents
[https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/ai-companions-and-kids-what-parents-need-to-know | Common Sense Media | Common Sense Media | 2025]
2025 — How AI Companions Affect Children’s Social Development
[https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/reports/policy-guidance-ai-children | UNICEF | UNICEF Office of Global Insight and Policy | 2025]
2025 — Young People’s Mental Health in an AI World
[https://www.apa.org/topics/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/health-advisory-ai-chatbots-wellness-applications | American Psychological Association | APA | 2025]
July 2025 — Talk, Trust and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions
[https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/talk-trust-and-trade-offs-how-and-why-teens-use-ai-companions | Common Sense Media | Common Sense Media | July 2025]
December 12, 2024 — Teens, Social Media and Technology
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/ | Michelle Faverio and Olivia Sidoti | Pew Research Center | December 12, 2024]
2024 — How Generative AI May Change Childhood Friendships
[https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-lives-of-children/ | Nicol Turner Lee | Brookings Institution | 2024]
January 2024 — Children and AI: Opportunities and Risks
[https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/artificial-intelligence-children-safety-education/ | World Economic Forum | World Economic Forum | January 2024]
2023 — Growing Up with Alexa and Other Artificial Companions
[https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/children-and-ai/overview/ | MIT Media Lab | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2023]

=== Older Adults, Caregiving and Social Robots ===
2025 — AI Companions for Older Adults: Promise and Precaution
[https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/labs/lci/artificial-intelligence-and-technology | National Institute on Aging | National Institutes of Health | 2025]
2025 — Artificial Intelligence and Healthy Longevity
[https://longevity.stanford.edu/artificial-intelligence-and-longevity/ | Stanford Center on Longevity | Stanford University | 2025]
2024 — The Future of Caregiving and Artificial Intelligence
[https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2024/artificial-intelligence-caregiving.html | AARP | AARP | 2024]
2023 — Ethical Challenges of Robots in Elder Care
[https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-ai/ | Vincent C. Müller | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy | 2023]
2023 — Digital Technology and Social Connection in Later Life
[https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240069461 | World Health Organization | WHO | 2023]
July 11, 2023 — Can Robots Help Older People Feel Less Lonely?
[https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/11/1186789649/robots-elder-care-loneliness-aging | Allison Aubrey | NPR | July 11, 2023]
2020 — Social Robots for Older Adults: A Systematic Review
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7463128/ | Sandra M. Bedaf et al. | National Library of Medicine | 2020]
2020 — Robotic Pets and Loneliness in Older Adults
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7426775/ | Various Authors | National Library of Medicine | 2020]
2019 — Socially Assistive Robots in Elder Care
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6616181/ | Rebecca Abbott et al. | National Library of Medicine | 2019]
2018 — Robots Cannot Replace the Human Touch in Care
[https://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/publications/ai-in-healthcare-and-research | Nuffield Council on Bioethics | Nuffield Council on Bioethics | 2018]

=== Mental Health, Therapy and Emotional Support ===
2025 — How People Use ChatGPT for Therapy
[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00550-6 | Nature News | Nature | 2025]
March 21, 2025 — Emotional Reliance on AI Chatbots
[https://openai.com/index/investigating-affective-use-and-emotional-well-being-on-chatgpt/ | OpenAI and MIT Media Lab | OpenAI | March 21, 2025]
2024 — Your Chatbot Is Not Your Therapist
[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-chatbot-is-not-your-therapist/ | Various Authors | Scientific American | 2024]
2024 — The Problem with AI Therapy
[https://hai.stanford.edu/news/when-it-comes-mental-health-ai-has-opinion-problem | Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI | Stanford University | 2024]
2024 — Chatbots and the Illusion of Empathy
[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/202401/the-illusion-of-ai-empathy | Various Authors | Psychology Today | 2024]
February 2024 — Can AI Help Address the Mental-Health Crisis?
[https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/02/can-artificial-intelligence-help-address-the-mental.html | RAND Corporation | RAND | February 2024]
January 31, 2024 — Mental-Health Chatbots: Helpful or Harmful?
[https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-ai-chatbots-help-with-mental-health-202401312906 | Harvard Health Publishing | Harvard Medical School | January 31, 2024]
May 16, 2023 — AI Chatbots and Mental-Health Risks
[https://www.who.int/news/item/16-05-2023-who-calls-for-safe-and-ethical-ai-for-health | World Health Organization | WHO | May 16, 2023]
June 6, 2017 — Woebot and the Rise of Automated Therapy
[https://mental.jmir.org/2017/2/e19/ | Kathleen Kara Fitzpatrick, Alison Darcy and Molly Vierhile | JMIR Mental Health | June 6, 2017]

=== Ethics, Manipulation and Corporate Power ===
August 5, 2026 — Human Values Must Shape Ethical AI
[https://www.techradar.com/pro/tools-dont-have-independent-values-their-values-are-human-values-quote-of-the-day-by-stanford-professor-fei-fei-li-on-building-ethical-ai | Benedict Collins | TechRadar | August 5, 2026]
2025 — Privacy in Human–AI Relationships
[https://www.eff.org/issues/ai | Electronic Frontier Foundation | EFF | 2025]
2025 — Designing AI to Strengthen Human Relationships
[https://hai.stanford.edu/research | Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI | Stanford University | 2025]
2024 — The Emotional Risks of Anthropomorphic AI
[https://www.aisi.gov.uk/research/anthropomorphic-ai | AI Security Institute | Government of the United Kingdom | 2024]
2024 — AI Companions and the Business of Attachment
[https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/categories/mental-health-apps/ | Mozilla Foundation | Privacy Not Included | 2024]
2024 — Artificial Intimacy and Surveillance Capitalism
[https://datasociety.net/library/ai-and-human-rights/ | Data & Society | Data & Society Research Institute | 2024]
2024 — Should AI Companions Be Allowed to Pretend They Care?
[https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-human-relationships | Nuffield Foundation | Nuffield Foundation | 2024]
February 27, 2023 — AI Companions and Consumer Protection
[https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/02/keep-your-ai-claims-check | Michael Atleson | Federal Trade Commission | February 27, 2023]
2021 — How AI Systems Manipulate Human Behavior
[https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/recommendation-ethics | UNESCO | UNESCO | 2021]

=== Work, Family and Everyday Relationships ===
2025 — How AI Will Change the Way Couples Communicate
[https://www.gottman.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-and-relationships/ | The Gottman Institute | The Gottman Institute | 2025]
2025 — AI Relationship Advice Is Everywhere
[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/artificial-intelligence | Psychology Today | Psychology Today | 2025]
2025 — AI at Work and the Future of Human Collaboration
[https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/ | Microsoft | Work Trend Index | 2025]
2025 — How Generative AI Changes Workplace Relationships
[https://hbr.org/topic/subject/artificial-intelligence | Harvard Business Review | Harvard Business Review | 2025]
2024 — Generative AI and Family Life
[https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-will-ai-change-our-lives/ | Darrell M. West and John R. Allen | Brookings Institution | 2024]
2024 — AI and the Future of Friendship at Work
[https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236441/employee-feedback-good-bad-ugly.aspx | Gallup | Gallup Workplace | 2024]
2024 — Can AI Make Us Better Partners?
[https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/technology | Greater Good Science Center | University of California, Berkeley | 2024]
May 2024 — Will AI Replace Human Mentors?
[https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/05/ai-coaching-mentoring-future-of-work/ | World Economic Forum | World Economic Forum | May 2024]
June 21, 2023 — The Future of Human Relationships in an AI World
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/06/21/as-ai-spreads-experts-predict-the-best-and-worst-changes-in-digital-life-by-2035/ | Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie | Pew Research Center | June 21, 2023]

=== Preserving Human Relationships in an AI World ===
2025 — Building Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
[https://hai.stanford.edu/about | Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence | Stanford University | 2025]
2025 — Digital Well-Being in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
[https://www.oecd.org/digital/children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-in-the-digital-age.htm | OECD | OECD | 2025]
2025 — Designing Technology That Encourages Real-World Connection
[https://www.humanetech.com/ | Center for Humane Technology | Center for Humane Technology | 2025]
2024 — Responsible Innovation in Social Robotics
[https://spectrum.ieee.org/social-robots | IEEE Spectrum | IEEE | 2024]
2024 — Choosing a Human Future in an AI World
[https://www.un.org/en/ai-advisory-body | United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence | United Nations | 2024]
January 2023 — Keeping Humans in the Loop
[https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework | National Institute of Standards and Technology | NIST | January 2023]
2019 — The OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence
[https://oecd.ai/en/ai-principles | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | OECD | 2019]

=== Human Attachment to AI Companions ===
July 2026 — Depression Symptoms and Relational Patterns in 187,000 ChatGPT Conversations
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.05685 | N. K. R. Sehgal et al. | arXiv | July 2026]
July 2026 — Barriers to Understanding How Many People Use AI for Mental-Health Support
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s44482-026-00025-7 | Various Authors | Nature Mental Health | July 2026]
June 17, 2026 — Americans’ Views on AI Chatbots, Smart Devices and AI’s Impact
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/06/17/americans-and-ai-2026-chatbots-smart-devices-and-views-on-impact/ | Monica Anderson et al. | Pew Research Center | June 17, 2026]
June 17, 2026 — The Gender Gap in AI in the United States
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/06/17/the-gender-gap-in-ai/ | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | June 17, 2026]
May 5, 2026 — The Fragility of AI Companionship: Ontological, Structural, and Normative Uncertainty in Human-AI Relationships
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.03367 | Renwen Zhang and Lezi Xie | arXiv | May 5, 2026]
April 21, 2026 — Frictionless Love: Associations Between AI Companion Roles and Behavioral Addiction
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.20011 | Vibhor Agarwal, Ke Zhou, Edyta Paulina Bogucka and Daniele Quercia | arXiv | April 21, 2026]
March 12, 2026 — Key Findings About How Americans View Artificial Intelligence
[https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/12/key-findings-about-how-americans-view-artificial-intelligence/ | Brian Kennedy and Alec Tyson | Pew Research Center | March 12, 2026]
March 2026 — Emotional Support with Conversational AI
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.22618 | O. Y. Huang et al. | arXiv | March 2026]
February 2, 2026 — Your Teen Turned to AI Instead of You
[https://www.apa.org/topics/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/teens-chatbots-parents | Zara Abrams | American Psychological Association | February 2, 2026]
2025 — Emotional Risks of AI Companions Demand Attention
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-025-01093-9 | Nature Machine Intelligence Editorial | Nature Machine Intelligence | 2025]

=== Teenagers Growing Up with AI ===
February 24, 2026 — How Teens Use and View AI
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/ | Colleen McClain, Monica Anderson, Olivia Sidoti and William Bishop | Pew Research Center | February 24, 2026]
February 24, 2026 — Demographic Differences in How Teens Use and View AI
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/demographic-differences-in-how-teens-use-and-view-ai/ | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | February 24, 2026]
October 1, 2025 — Many Teens Are Turning to AI Chatbots for Friendship and Emotional Support
[https://www.apa.org/monitor/2025/10/technology-youth-friendships | Zara Abrams | American Psychological Association | October 1, 2025]
2025 — AI Companions and the Mental Health of Young People
[https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/ai-companions-and-the-mental-health-of-young-people | Common Sense Media | Common Sense Media | 2025]
2025 — AI Chatbots and Companions: Risks to Children and Adolescents
[https://www.childrenandscreens.org/learn-explore/research/ai-chatbots-and-companions/ | Children and Screens | Institute of Digital Media and Child Development | 2025]
January 31, 2024 — Teens and Social Media Fact Sheet
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/01/31/americans-social-media-use/ | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | January 31, 2024]
December 15, 2022 — Teens and Cyberbullying
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/ | Emily A. Vogels | Pew Research Center | December 15, 2022]
November 2021 — Policy Guidance on AI for Children
[https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/reports/policy-guidance-ai-children | UNICEF | UNICEF Innocenti | November 2021]

=== Artificial Intimacy and Romantic Life ===
2025 — Individual Differences in Anthropomorphism Help Explain Social Connection to AI Companions
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-19212-2 | Daniel Folk et al. | Scientific Reports | 2025]
2025 — AI Companions and the Future of Intimate Relationships
[https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-ai-companions-are-changing-human-relationships/ | Brookings Institution | Brookings Institution | 2025]
May 2025 — Supportive? Addictive? Abusive? How AI Companions Affect Mental Health
[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01349-9 | David Adam | Nature | May 2025]
2024 — AI Is Changing Dating Apps
[https://www.wired.com/story/ai-dating-apps-messages-profiles/ | Wired Staff | Wired | 2024]
2024 — The New Dating App Features Powered by Artificial Intelligence
[https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/how-ai-is-changing-online-dating/ | CNET Staff | CNET | 2024]
June 2024 — The People Falling in Love with AI
[https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/06/14/1093752/people-falling-in-love-with-ai/ | MIT Technology Review | MIT Technology Review | June 2024]
February 14, 2024 — The Future of Dating Could Be AI-to-AI
[https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/14/1088191/ai-dating-agents/ | MIT Technology Review | MIT Technology Review | February 14, 2024]
February 2, 2023 — Online Dating in the United States
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/02/02/the-virtues-and-downsides-of-online-dating/ | Colleen McClain and Emily A. Vogels | Pew Research Center | February 2, 2023]
May 8, 2020 — Dating and Relationships in the Digital Age
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/05/08/dating-and-relationships-in-the-digital-age/ | Emily A. Vogels and Monica Anderson | Pew Research Center | May 8, 2020]

=== Friendship, Loneliness and Belonging ===
January 16, 2025 — Men, Women and Social Connections
[https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2025/01/16/men-women-and-social-connections/ | Kim Parker et al. | Pew Research Center | January 16, 2025]
January 16, 2025 — Where Men and Women Turn for Emotional Support and Social Connection
[https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2025/01/16/where-men-and-women-turn-for-emotional-support-and-social-connection/ | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | January 16, 2025]
July 9, 2024 — AI Companions Reduce Loneliness
[https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.19096 | Julian De Freitas, Ahmet K. Uguralp, Zeliha O. Uguralp and Stefano Puntoni | arXiv | July 9, 2024]
January 2024 — Loneliness and Suicide Mitigation for Students Using Replika
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-023-00047-6 | Brian Maples et al. | Scientific Reports | January 2024]
September 1, 2021 — Friendship and Technology Through the Pandemic
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/09/01/the-internet-and-the-pandemic/ | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | September 1, 2021]
July 27, 2010 — Social Relationships and Mortality Risk
[https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 | Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith and J. Bradley Layton | PLOS Medicine | July 27, 2010]
November 4, 2009 — Social Isolation and New Technology
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2009/11/04/social-isolation-and-new-technology-2/ | Keith N. Hampton et al. | Pew Research Center | November 4, 2009]

=== AI Therapy and Emotional Disclosure ===
2024 — Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health Care
[https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-funded-by-nimh/rdoc/artificial-intelligence-and-mental-health | National Institute of Mental Health | National Institutes of Health | 2024]
June 28, 2021 — Artificial Intelligence for Health: Opportunities and Risks
[https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240029200 | World Health Organization | World Health Organization | June 28, 2021]
January 1966 — ELIZA—A Computer Program for the Study of Natural-Language Communication
[https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/365153.365168 | Joseph Weizenbaum | Communications of the ACM | January 1966]

=== Social Robots and Embodied Companionship ===
2024 — Robots for Social Good
[https://robotsguide.com/robots/social | IEEE | IEEE Robots Guide | 2024]
2023 — Socially Assistive Robots in Healthcare
[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10548592/ | Various Authors | National Library of Medicine | 2023]
2023 — Children’s Relationships with Social Robots
[https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/personal-robots/overview/ | MIT Media Lab | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2023]
February 2012 — Sherry Turkle: Connected, but Alone?
[https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_connected_but_alone | Sherry Turkle | TED | February 2012]

=== Authenticity, Trust and Anthropomorphism ===
2024 — Why People Treat Chatbots Like Humans
[https://hai.stanford.edu/news/why-people-anthropomorphize-ai | Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence | Stanford University | 2024]
July 2023 — The ELIZA Effect in the Age of Generative AI
[https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/25/1076723/ai-consciousness-eliza-effect/ | MIT Technology Review | MIT Technology Review | July 2023]
2022 — Machines Behaving Badly
[https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300264630/machines-behaving-badly/ | Toby Walsh | Yale University Press | 2022]
October 6, 2015 — Reclaiming Conversation
[https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317525/reclaiming-conversation-by-sherry-turkle/ | Sherry Turkle | Penguin Press | October 6, 2015]
January 11, 2011 — Alone Together
[https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/sherry-turkle/alone-together/9780465031467/ | Sherry Turkle | Basic Books | January 11, 2011]
1996 — The Media Equation
[https://web.stanford.edu/group/commdept/oldstuff/srct_pages/MediaEquation.htm | Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass | Stanford University | 1996]
April 1994 — Computers Are Social Actors
[https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/191666.191703 | Clifford Nass, Jonathan Steuer and Ellen R. Tauber | Association for Computing Machinery | April 1994]
1977 — The Question Concerning Technology
[https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-question-concerning-technology-martin-heidegger | Martin Heidegger | Harper & Row | 1977]

=== Privacy, Surveillance and Emotional Manipulation ===
February 2024 — Dark Patterns in Artificial Intelligence
[https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/02/ai-companies-uphold-your-privacy-confidentiality-commitments | Federal Trade Commission | Federal Trade Commission | February 2024]
2022 — Commercial Surveillance and Data Security
[https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/federal-register-notices/commercial-surveillance-data-security-rulemaking | Federal Trade Commission | Federal Trade Commission | 2022]
January 15, 2019 — The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
[https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/shoshana-zuboff/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism/9781610395694/ | Shoshana Zuboff | PublicAffairs | January 15, 2019]
June 27, 2018 — Deceived by Design
[https://www.forbrukerradet.no/side/deceived-by-design/ | Norwegian Consumer Council | Norwegian Consumer Council | June 27, 2018]
May 15, 2017 — The Manipulation of Online Relationships
[https://www.datasociety.net/library/media-manipulation-and-disinfo-online/ | Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis | Data & Society Research Institute | May 15, 2017]
September 6, 2016 — Weapons of Math Destruction
[https://weaponsofmathdestructionbook.com/ | Cathy O’Neil | Crown | September 6, 2016]

=== AI in Family, Work and Community Life ===
April 3, 2025 — Artificial Intelligence in Daily Life: Views and Experiences
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/03/artificial-intelligence-in-daily-life-views-and-experiences/ | Brian Kennedy et al. | Pew Research Center | April 3, 2025]
January 2025 — The Future of Jobs Report 2025
[https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/ | World Economic Forum | World Economic Forum | January 2025]
May 8, 2024 — AI at Work Is Here
[https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/2024/ai-at-work-is-here-now-comes-the-hard-part | Microsoft and LinkedIn | Work Trend Index | May 8, 2024]
January 14, 2024 — AI and the Future of Work
[https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2024/01/14/ai-will-transform-the-global-economy-lets-make-sure-it-benefits-humanity | Kristalina Georgieva | International Monetary Fund | January 14, 2024]
2023 — Families and Screen Time
[https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/technology-use-children | American Psychological Association | American Psychological Association | 2023]
July 26, 2023 — Generative AI and the Future of Work in America
[https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/generative-ai-and-the-future-of-work-in-america | McKinsey Global Institute | McKinsey & Company | July 26, 2023]
March 30, 2023 — The Future of Remote Work
[https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/30/about-a-third-of-us-workers-who-can-work-from-home-do-so-all-the-time/ | Kim Parker | Pew Research Center | March 30, 2023]
June 30, 2020 — The Future of Social and Civic Innovation
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/06/30/innovations-these-experts-predict-by-2030/ | Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie | Pew Research Center | June 30, 2020]
2000 — Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
[https://bowlingalone.com/ | Robert D. Putnam | Simon & Schuster | 2000]

=== Governing the Future of Human–AI Relationships ===
June 21, 2023 — Themes: The Most Harmful Changes in Digital Life by 2035
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/06/21/themes-the-most-harmful-or-menacing-changes-in-digital-life-that-are-likely-by-2035/ | Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie | Pew Research Center | June 21, 2023]
June 21, 2023 — Expert Essays on the Expected Impact of Digital Change by 2035
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/06/21/expert-essays-on-the-expected-impact-of-digital-change-by-2035/ | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | June 21, 2023]
October 2022 — Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights
[https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/ | White House Office of Science and Technology Policy | White House | October 2022]
October 8, 2019 — Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control
[https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566677/human-compatible-by-stuart-russell/ | Stuart Russell | Viking | October 8, 2019]
April 8, 2019 — Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/ethics-guidelines-trustworthy-ai | European Commission High-Level Expert Group on AI | European Commission | April 8, 2019]
December 10, 2018 — Concerns About Human Agency, Evolution and Survival
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/12/10/concerns-about-human-agency-evolution-and-survival/ | Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie | Pew Research Center | December 10, 2018]
April 17, 2018 — The Future of Well-Being in a Tech-Saturated World
[https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/04/17/the-future-of-well-being-in-a-tech-saturated-world/ | Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie | Pew Research Center | April 17, 2018]