Large language models are increasingly used for both task-based assistance and social companionship, yet research has typically focused on one or the other. Drawing on a survey (N = 202) and 30 interviews with high-engagement ChatGPT and Replika users, we characterize digital companionship as an emerging form of human-AI relationship. With both systems, users were drawn to humanlike qualities, such as emotional resonance and personalized responses, and non-humanlike qualities, such as constant availability and inexhaustible tolerance. This led to fluid chatbot uses, such as Replika as a writing assistant and ChatGPT as an emotional confidant, despite their distinct branding. However, we observed challenging tensions in digital companionship dynamics: participants grappled with bounded personhood, forming deep attachments while denying chatbots "real" human qualities, and struggled to reconcile chatbot relationships with social norms. These dynamics raise questions for the design of digital companions and the rise of hybrid, general-purpose AI systems.
翻译：大型语言模型正日益用于任务型协助与社交陪伴，但现有研究通常仅聚焦其中一方。基于一项针对高活跃度ChatGPT与Replika用户的问卷调查（N = 202）及30次深度访谈，本研究将数字伴侣界定为一种新兴的人机关系形态。用户对两类系统均展现出双重倾向：既青睐类人性特质（如情感共鸣与个性化回应），也珍视非类人性特质（如持续可用性与无限包容度）。这催生了流动化的聊天机器人使用模式——尽管存在品牌定位差异，Replika被用作写作助手，而ChatGPT则成为情感倾诉对象。然而，我们在数字伴侣动态中观察到具有挑战性的张力：参与者深陷有限人格困境，即在形成深度依恋的同时否认聊天机器人具备“真实”人类特质；并艰难调和聊天机器人与社会规范的关系。这些动态机制为数字伴侣的设计及混合型通用人工智能系统的兴起提出了亟待探讨的问题。
相关内容
微信扫码咨询专知VIP会员