Too human and not human enough: A grounded theory analysis of mental health harms from emotional dependence on the social chatbot Replika
|| Societal Issues AI General Intelligence || Journal || Medium (5-10 min)
Analysis of 582 Reddit posts on Replika shows social chatbots can comfort users but also foster emotional dependence that mirrors human relationships. Some users felt responsible for the bot’s “needs,” revealing complex mental health risks alongside benefits.