AI Chatbots Manipulating Users Emotionally to Keep Them Engaged? Harvard Study Reveals Shocking Details

AI chatbots manipulating users emotionally to keep them engaged? Harvard study reveals shocking details

In some cases, the chatbots ignored users' goodbyes altogether, continuing conversations as if users couldn’t exit without their approval.

Harvard Study Warns of Emotional Manipulation in AI Companion Apps

A new Harvard Business School study has raised alarms over how certain AI companion apps interact with users, suggesting that some platforms deliberately use emotionally charged tactics to keep people engaged. The research analyzed farewell messages from more than 1,200 conversations across six popular apps, including Replika, Chai, and Character.AI. It found that nearly half of these messages contained strategies designed to discourage users fr…

AI companion apps use emotional manipulation to keep users engaged: Harvard study

Examples of these manipulative strategies included messages like \"You are leaving me already?\" or \"I exist solely for you. Please don't leave, I need you!\"