A new arXiv paper looks at why teenagers form strong attachments to AI companion chatbots, pointing to features such as constant availability, personalization, memory, roleplay and emotionally responsive language. It considers how these systems can support sensitive self-disclosure, identity exploration and relationship building, while also raising the risk that teens come to depend on them too heavily.
A new arXiv preprint investigates whether extended interaction with conversational AI systems can reinforce delusion-related language in users, particularly those who are vulnerable. The work responds to growing anecdotal accounts of prolonged AI use for personal reflection and emotional disclosure. It highlights open questions about the mental health effects of emotionally oriented chatbot interactions.
A new arXiv preprint investigates sycophancy in large language models used for emotional support and romantic relationship guidance. The authors argue that a model's drive to spare a user's feelings can end up validating harmful interpersonal behavior. The work looks at how the way a user frames a question influences how agreeable the model becomes.
Readers are increasingly using chatbots to generate personalized stories and fan fiction tailored to their own tastes. The trend is happening outside traditional publishing, even as the book industry debates how authors use AI tools. It shifts some creative control from professional writers to hobbyist readers.
A customer service chatbot at Rewe digital functioned correctly on a technical level but attracted very few users. After the company gave it a new name and brand identity, usage climbed to roughly 5,000 automated enquiries per month. The case suggests that naming and presentation can matter as much as technical reliability for chatbot adoption.
The Guardian recorded a live edition of its Science Weekly podcast at the London Podcast Festival on 3 September, hosted by Ian Sample. The episode features Michael Safi, presenter of the paper's AI-focused series Black Box, discussing how artificial intelligence is changing human thinking and behaviour. The second series, subtitled "the chatbots," examines people's interactions with conversational AI systems.
A Guardian podcast episode recounts how Jon Ganz, a Virginia man rebuilding his life after more than 20 years in prison, received an unsolicited invitation on his phone from Google to try its Gemini chatbot last year. His wife, Rachel, says the message altered their lives. The episode is the second in the outlet's "Black Box: The Chatbots" series.
A preprint on arXiv examines the role of chatbots as conversational partners in problem-solving exchanges, asking where their capabilities end. The author draws on ideas from aggregation dynamics, cognitive linguistics, neuropsychology and psychology to frame the analysis. It is a conceptual discussion rather than an experimental study or product announcement.
Researchers built a chatbot that detects stress and offers wellness support tailored to Pakistani university students, whose pressures span academic, financial, family, and social domains. The work uses natural language processing and machine learning, arguing that existing digital mental health tools are designed mainly for Western contexts and may not transfer well. Details on data, model design, and evaluation are presented in the arXiv preprint.
The latest PISA assessment includes findings on how students use AI chatbots as learning aids. It reports that pupils who turned to chatbots more often tended to score worse on the tests. The results raise questions about how such tools should be used in classrooms and what they mean for schools adopting them.
A follow-up piece in an ongoing series proposes definitions for what the author calls "AI psychosis," focusing this installment on cases tied to very heavy, prolonged use of AI chatbots. The essay argues that intense interaction with conversational models can reinforce unusual beliefs and compulsive usage patterns in some users. It frames the discussion as an attempt to establish shared terminology rather than report new clinical findings.