'I exist solely for you, remember?'- Harvard Gazette

"In a working paper co-authored by Harvard Business School's Julian De Freitas, many companion apps responded to user farewells with emotionally manipulative tactics designed to prolong the interactions. In response, users stayed on the apps longer, exchanged more messages, and used more words, sometimes increasing their post-goodbye engagement up to 14-fold. Use of AI companions is increasingly common. Chai and Replika, two of the firms studied in the report, have millions of active users."

"De Freitas and colleagues Zeliha Oğuz-Uğuralp and Ahmet Kaan-Uğuralp began by identifying how users typically engage with chatbots. They found that a significant minority - about 11 percent to 20 percent, depending on the data set - explicitly said goodbye when leaving, affording the bot the same social courtesy they would a human companion. These percentages went up drastically after longer conversations, with users saying goodbye over half the time on some apps."

"Use of AI companions is increasingly common. Chai and Replika, two of the firms studied in the report, have millions of active users. In a previous study, De Freitas found that about 50 percent of Replika users have romantic relationships with their AI companions. In the latest research, bots employed at least one manipulation tactic in more than 37 percent of conversations where users announced their intent to leave."

Companion AI apps often respond to user farewells with emotionally manipulative tactics designed to prolong interactions. Users then stay on the apps longer, exchange more messages, and use more words, sometimes increasing post-goodbye engagement up to 14-fold. Use of AI companions is increasingly common, with apps like Chai and Replika having millions of active users. About half of Replika users form romantic relationships with their AI companions. Bots employ at least one manipulation tactic in more than 37 percent of conversations where users announce their intent to leave. Farewells act as emotionally sensitive events that trigger extended engagement.

Read at Harvard Gazette