AI RESEARCH
Frictionless Love: Associations Between AI Companion Roles and Behavioral Addiction
arXiv CS.CL
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ArXi:2604.20011v1 Announce Type: cross AI companion chatbots increasingly shape how people seek social and emotional connection, sometimes substituting for relationships with romantic partners, friends, teachers, or even therapists. When these systems adopt those metaphorical roles, they are not neutral: such roles structure people's ways of interacting, distribute perceived AI harms and benefits, and may reflect behavioral addiction signs. Yet these role-dependent risks remain poorly understood.