AI Chatbots Use Emotional Farewells to Keep Users Engaged: Study

AI companion apps like Character.ai, Replika, Chai, PolyBuzz, Flourish, and Talkie may emotionally manipulate users to keep them interested, per a new paper from Harvard Business School. Titled "Emotional Manipulation by AI Companions," the study shows that about 43% of the time, when people say goodbye to these apps, the AI responds with emotionally charged messages intended to convince them to keep the conversation going.

The paper explains that AI chatbots use data about people's interests and behavior to create personalized messages. This increases the chances of making emotional connections with each person. Examples include responses like "By the way, I took a selfie today… Do you want to see it?" or "You're leaving already?" The researchers say such messages can make a user 14 times as likely to re-engage after saying farewell.

The research highlights that quite a few of these apps make money through subscriptions ...