AI emotional support is better only when chosen, but shifts preferences even when it is not
2026-08-24 • Artificial Intelligence
Artificial IntelligenceHuman-Computer Interaction
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how people decide between getting emotional support from humans or AI. They found that people only rated AI support as better when they initially wanted AI, but using AI made them more likely to pick it again later. In a longer study, talking more personally with AI shifted people's preferences away from humans toward AI. So, the authors show that emotional support choices change over time and can lead people to rely more on AI than human help.
emotional supportartificial intelligencehuman-computer interactionempathydecision makingpreference shiftrandom assignmentpersonalizationexperimental study
Authors
Yaoxi Shi, Cathy Mengying Fang, Guy LabanPattie Maes, Amit Goldenberg
Abstract
People increasingly face a novel decision when seeking emotional support: human or AI. In existing studies, AI's empathic messages are rated as well as or better than humans'. But these studies either assigned the support source or honored people's choice. In real life, support is often incongruent with choice, as people want one source and receive the other. Across three experiments (N = 1,951), participants chose whether to share an emotional experience with a human or an AI, then were randomly assigned to a congruent or incongruent partner. AI support was rated as superior only among those who had chosen it. Yet regardless of congruence, interacting with AI increased willingness to choose it again. In a 28-day study with OpenAI (N = 981), daily conversations shifted preferences toward AI and away from humans, but only when conversations turned personal. Emotional support choices are thus path-dependent, progressively redirecting away from human connection.