User Experiences of Social Support From Companion Chatbots in Everyday Contexts: Thematic Analysis
Investigating the types of everyday social support that can be received from artificial agents in everyday contexts found that Replika provides some level of companionship that can help curtail loneliness, provide a “safe space” in which users can discuss any topic without the fear of judgment or retaliation, and provide helpful information/advice when normal sources of informational support are not available.
Abstract
Artificial agents may be a promising source of everyday social support, particularly companionship, emotional, informational, and appraisal support, but not as tangible support. Future studies are needed to determine who might benefit from these types of everyday social support the most and why. These results could potentially be used to help address global health issues or other crises early on in everyday situations before they potentially manifest into larger issues.